


Feral

by AllMonstersRHuman



Category: Norman Reedus - Fandom, Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Norman Reedus - Freeform, the walking dead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-29
Updated: 2014-03-30
Packaged: 2018-01-17 11:27:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 27,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1385941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllMonstersRHuman/pseuds/AllMonstersRHuman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A woman more animal than human from living ten years alone in the Georgian wilderness comes across a man in her territory about to be ripped to shreds by the undead. One primal feeling tore through her as she watched a corpse lunge to sink its teeth into his flesh.  'Mine.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mine

**Author's Notice** :  _My writing has been stolen twice by someone who tried to pass it off as their own. If you recognize my writing anywhere please contact me immediately._

 **A WARNING TO ALL REEDUS WRITERS** :  _In light of posting a very angry author's note to the story that the content was stolen from. I have been informed by a fellow writer that many other writers in the Reedus fandom have had their work stolen recently._

 _This person will most likely make a new blog, steal more writing, and submit it as their own to another innocent fic blog._   **Look out for writing you recognize and if possible inform the rightful owner.**

* * *

 

 

_Hunt. Eat. Kill._

That's all the woman knew. All she lived.

Long before the dead started rising she'd been alone in the wilds of Georgia, thriving. She no longer thought or functioned as a human being, but a feral animal. Primal instinct had taken over, ruled supreme within her. With the aid of behaviors learned from the animals around her she became skilled in surviving.

All faces she encountered aside from the dirt caked one reflected in the waters surface were dead. Rotten intruders in her territory, unworthy practice for hunting. She killed as many as she could find within her domain for sport. But after encountering the first of those faces she began having dreams and returning memories of a life she could not understand. One she did not want to remember.

As she stalked through her daily route in search of prey the eastward wind brought the scent of the dead to her flaring nostrils. Something else carried in the same breeze made her stop to inhale a larger breath. A scent similar to the rotters in species but more tangible, fresher, distinctly alive. Filled with panic and blood.

She took off on all fours, flying towards the source of this strangely familiar yet confusing scent. Nearing the origin she shimmied up a tree to survey the scene below from high above, in her comfort zone.

Dead things everywhere, closing in on a fellow corpse down in the ravine. No, not a rotter, he was pink, fast in his movements but wounded with a stick in his side and a gash on his head. Living and fighting for life.

She scraped a nail along the mixture of dirt and black blood slathered her skin to hide her own scent. Underneath pink skin shown through, similar to the creature's hide down below that was killing off the dead methodically. She leaned further off her branch to observe him. She was impressed with his tool that shot sticks at speeds too fast to see. But even more so with his grace and coordination at collecting the sticks to reload while using a gleaming blade that put her own made of bone to shame on the dead that advanced.

As they started to overwhelm him he backed himself against the cliff face underneath her tree. He let his last stick fly and stabbed another to his left with the knife. She heard him make noises, ones that made her own lips move in lost memory. The baser, more dominant part of her brain told her to let the dead kill him so she could steal his tools with ease. But a small part of her wanted to see this fierce creature go on and thrive.

When she watched a rotter to the pink thing's left lunge to bite a chunk from his clothed limb the dominant half warring inside herself changed its directive. As she leaped from her perch, bone dagger drawn one primal feeling tore through her.  _'Mine.'_

"Sonova bitch, where these fuckers keep comin' from?" Daryl muttered to himself as he dispatched another walker with an arrow and two more with his knife.

Daryl started to lose it, there were just too many closing in too fast. He was contemplating just driving his hunting knife into his own scull when a small dark shape dropped down onto a walker he hadn't noticed practically on top of him. He ducked out of the way just in time to watch as it plunged something into the walkers brain and leaped swiftly to the next closest dead bastard. Daryl didn't have much time to comprehend just what the fuck had saved his ass before another walker was coming at him.

After dropping it and several others closing in on him with thrusts of his knife he paused to watch as the thing killed several more. It was fast, and deadly. He noted long, dirty hair so matted together it resembled many thin dreadlocks and a distinctly feminine body structure covered with animal pelts. If anyone ever found out he'd just been saved by a woman he'd never live it down.

His momentary embarrassment was wiped out when she pounced on another walker, stabbing its head repeatedly as she let out a long, vicious, inhuman growl of triumph. Daryl watched, amazed as all the walkers started to slowly retreat. They were scared of her.

He felt a shiver run up his spine as he watched her chase after them on all four legs like a natural predator, quickly taking down several. Daryl scrambled to climb back up the ravine wall before the feral woman got tired of playing with the dead and decided she wanted something a little more challenging to take on.

Blood loss and lack of footing sent Daryl tumbling back down the steep incline, adding another knock to his head on his list of injuries once he reached the bottom. The last thought that ran through his mind before his vision went black was one of hope that she would at least kill him before she hogtied his ass to a spit and roasted him over an open fire.


	2. Dinner

 

 

 

 

The woman let out a triumphant roar as she killed the last of the dead that had not escaped into the tree line. While naturally she longed to peruse the ones that had gotten away, something caught her eye as she did a quick visual sweep of the ravine. The pink thing.

' _Human? Man? Mine._ _'_ words were coming back to her along with the dreams and memories the dead faces had invoked.

She loped over to the unconscious figure on the ground cautiously. He wasn't moving.

' _Dead? No. Breathing._ _'_

She moved steadily nearer until she was close enough to observe the lines in his face, a small mole beside his mouth, his strong build. If she were ever slow enough for him to catch her, he could easily overpower her.

Minding the stick protruding from his side she carefully crouched over his body, her legs on either side of his slim hips. Leaning forward she rested her hands next to each side of his head, her entire body hovering precariously above his.

Slowly, still keeping her eyes trained on his face for any sign of deception, she lowered her head to his neck and inhaled his smell sharply. She let out an appreciative, shaky exhale only to gulp in another lung full. His scent made her mouth water, though not the same way a doe or squirrel would. This was different, new.

' _Lus_ _t_ _?_ _'_ Shaking the disturbing thought from her head she removed herself from atop his body to examine the wound in his side.

His weight on the protruding stick was causing the blood to flow more freely, she needed to tie off the blood flow the best she could and get him onto his undamaged side.

Quickly resuming her position above him she grabbed two handfuls of the button-down he was wearing and yanked hard, sending buttons flying all around them. She paused only a second to look at the scars that were visible around the worn undershirt before she was maneuvering his sculpted limbs out of the sleeves.

' _Dolly._ _'_ she thought with a twitch of her lips as one of her few acceptable memories played in her mind of dressing and undressing her childhood doll.

After his right arm was freed she worked to roll him onto that side. Carefully she used his blade to make tears around the protruding stick so moving the fabric would not tug at it more while freeing his other arm. Finally she was able to use the sleeves to tie around his middle and create a tourniquet. Next she moved to the gashes in his forehead, she could not see the extent of damage due to all the blood. Naturally, she lowered her head to gingerly lick it away and get at the wound.

Daryl felt something warm, soft, and wet working away at his temple, making the cuts sting. His eyes shot open and he found himself face to face with the wild woman who had saved him. She was licking away at his injury with his head in her vice-like hands. He tried to jerk his head away with a disoriented "Tha' fuck?" but she wasn't having any of it.

Tightening her hold on his already pounding head she growled a warning low in her throat. Daryl stopped moving and stared wide eyed up at her, his shallow pants of panic the only thing breaking the silence.

Once he understood her growled command she was treated to the delight of his eyes widening in fear, letting her take in her fill of the beautiful crystal blue spheres. She'd never seen anything like them, her own being a dark brown bordering on black. She couldn't remember details like eye color from her previous life either so she was near mesmerized by them.

Daryl began to calm a little when she made no move to hurt him, only staring into his eyes with an intensity that made his insides squirm and his body prick with nervousness. He was uncomfortable with people looking him in the eye in regular situations, let alone with their hands on him in such an intimate manner.

"Why don'cha take a picture, It'll last ya longer." he snapped as his lip curled up in a snarl.

Her only reply was a tilt of her head as she continued watching him. Slowly she released her grip on him and backed up a bit, giving him some space. When Daryl tried to sit up her strong hands returned, thrusting his upper body back to the ground with another growl.

"Git' yer fuckin' hands offa me woman!" he yelled as he tried to shake her dirty hands off his shoulder, earning a full on roar from her and another rough shove to make her point.

He laid his head down on the ground in defeat. He didn't want to piss her off too bad lest she decide to smash his head in with a rock and be done with it.

Once she was satisfied at his show of submission she rose to the nearest corpse and drug it towards him. Next she began digging a hole with her hands past the rocks of the ravine floor until she finally hit dirt. She positioned the walker's throat above the hole as Daryl watched from his place while she used his knife to slit its throat, sending black putrid blood into her small pit. She threw the body aside once she was content with the amount she had collected.

Before the blood could seep away into the ground she began to mix it with the dirt, squishing in in between her fingers until she had a muddy blood cocktail thick enough to be considered a paste. Taking two large handfuls she moved back to him and began coating his exposed skin with her mixture, careful to avoid any areas with open wounds.

Daryl flinched as he felt her hands on him again, not gentle, but not rough either. Just moving with purpose as she slathered him with the walker paste. He supposed it was to hide his scent from the dead fuckers and mentally gave her kudos for her resourcefulness. He didn't know what she had planned for him but if she was going to eat him he assumed she wouldn't bother plastering him in this goo. Once she was satisfied and he no longer had any pink skin showing she moved to his clothing next after mixing up another batch.

The day would start to fade in a few hours and she wanted to get him to shelter before night set in. A rumble in her stomach reminded her of her original objective she had been focused on before catching wind of his scent.

Quickly she scanned the area for anything edible while smearing more paste down past his belt. She felt him jump as her hand ran along a certain area, his sudden movement and his strong hand yanking hers from the spot made her attention turn back to his embarrassed face. If it weren't for the black staining his skin a blush would have been evident. She snatched her wrist out of his grasp with a small growl, more curious than angry. Was he injured there?

She made to touch the spot again and he let out a strangled but firm "No!" She remembered that sound, it meant something but she couldn't quite grasp it. Ignoring him she put her hand to the spot again to try and find the wound. Her hand came in contact with something hard and long this time, when she squeezed it he let out a small sound of  _'_ _pain?_ _'_

It was her turn to turn scarlet under the grime as a memory came flooding back to her of a boy rubbing up against her in the hayloft of a barn, something hard pressing against her leg. She snapped herself out of it wide eyed and snatched her hand away from the bulge in his pants. She heard him grunt uncomfortably as he made to adjust himself in his now too tight pants. She averted her gaze and busied herself moving to coat his thighs and lower legs before moving to his backside next.

Setting herself behind him to start at his shoulders she paused to observe the vicious scars marring his back. As she cleaned her hands on his side she slipped her hand underneath her own covering to trace a rigid scar on her own back while she simultaneously traced the largest of his with her other hand.

He went absolutely rigid and grabbed for the hand tracing his shame. She pulled away quickly and crawled around to his front. She seated herself in front of his face with her back to him and slowly pulled the back of her deerskin covering up to show him her own imperfections.

Daryl's eyes widened in surprise at her actions. Her back was riddled with scars much like his own. Many he recognized distinctly from the result of a belt, some from cigarettes. His brow furrowed in confusion as he wondered who this girl was and just what had happened to her.

Just as he tentatively began to reach his hand out to trace a particularly angry looking scar that spanned the entire expanse of her small back she dropped the covering down into place and took off on a four limbs toward the ravine wall he had tumbled down several times now. He sat up and watched with envy as she scaled it with ease and disappeared into the forest.

She'd obviously been out here long before the world went to shit. Daryl guessed she was in her early to mid twenties. Judging by her confusion and then sudden realization at his erection he'd bet she left civilization around her pre teens maybe a few years later. That'd be roughly ten years out here give or take. He could imagine what a decade alone in the wilderness would do to a person.

She appeared at the edge of the wall and jumped down without hesitation, landing gracefully on her bare feet and hands. He wouldn't lie, the way she moved and walked on all fours was downright creepy. The sight of her loping toward him was unnerving.

She stopped to drop four dead squirrels in front of him as well as his hunting knife, some leaves, and berries before moving to create more of her anti stink mixture. He understood what her actions meant.  _'_ _Make dinner._ _'_

While he got to work carving what meat he could from the tiny critters she moved behind him once again to coat his back. This time her touch was gentle, her movements purposely quick and hurried for the sake of getting the part of himself he hated to be touched covered as quick as possible.

As she neared his lower back she pushed his shoulder down to make him lie on his good side again before coating it. Truth be told she lingered on his butt longer than necessary before he barked "Quit feelin' me up god damn it!"

She lowered her head to hide the small smile that pricked her lips behind a curtain of dirty locks before moving on to the back of his thighs and calves.

With a quick swish of her hands in the water she returned to the rodents he'd prepared for them to eat. She plucked one up and left the other three along with the berries and leaves for him as she crawled a few feet away to sit and devour it with her back turned to him.

While Daryl ate his squirrel sushi he studied her. Her muscle tone was exceptional, a result of her lifestyle. Earlier he'd caught a peek at her large breasts as she moved and the skins shifted. A contributing factor to his earlier embarrassment, though he would avert his eyes he couldn't help seeing them every now and again.

She had other scars running along her body too, ones that looked attributed from nature. Along the back of her left leg he could see four raised claw marks that extended the length of her limb, possibly from a mountain lion.

"How'd ya git that?" he asked with a clear of his throat to gain her attention, pointing to the scars on her leg with a bloody finger.

She looked down to the marks he pointed at, realizing the meaning of his words. She raised her hand and arranged her fingers into the shape of claws before swiping it through the air and hissing to imitate the big cat who had given them to her years ago. It's pelt now served as her bedding in the cave she occupied.

After finishing up her meal and flinging the carcass away she raised her blood coated face toward the sky to examine the time. They needed to get moving soon. She decided against bringing him to her place of rest, choosing instead to help him to his so she could come back again and watch over him. She also knew he had lost a lot of blood and was still doing so despite her efforts to stop it. She was ill equipped to care for him and he might have better materials to patch it up at his dwelling.

Spying his contraption that flung the sticks  _'_ _Arrows?_ _'_ she began collecting the arrows from various walkers heads before grabbing it and placing it in front of him along with a little doll she'd found near it. He nodded his head in thanks before placing the bolts back in their slots and loading one in the chamber. He got up slowly, dizziness overtook him as he knelt back down to retrieve Sophia's doll and shove it in his belt loop.

Next he carefully slung the bow around himself before making his way toward the walkers she had used for her concoction. He sliced the ears of each one before stringing them together and presenting them to her. She looked at them as more words came back to her. ' _Gift? Necklace? Present? Jewelry?_ _'_  When she didn't take it he shrugged and placed them around his own neck before walking to the ravine wall.

She watched him as he readied to leave. She did not know how far his dwelling was but she knew he wouldn't make it a great distance in this condition. She followed him to the wall and watched as he surveyed it before selecting a branch to use as leverage. She stayed behind him the entire painfully slow way as he climbed.

Once he had almost made it to the top his footing slipped from under him and had he not grasped a tree root just in time he'd have sent her tumbling back down to the bottom with him. She watched as he struggled to pull himself up, he was talking to someone, not her and not himself. She cocked her head in confusion.  _'_ _Crazy?_ _'_

She broke her resolve to let him do it on his own when he slipped again and his hold on the root loosened. Digging her toes into the soil she hefted him the last few feet up the incline with her shoulder digging into his ass. Once the top half of him was over the edge she swung herself up easily and climbed a tree to scout the area for rotters. Once he was up and moving she jumped from branch to branch following him as he made his way through the forest.

Daryl thought he'd been a goner after slipping the second time but she'd pushed him the rest of the way, making hallucination Merle call him a pussy. He looked up to try and spot her in the tree limbs up above but he couldn't, she was too fast and kept too well hidden unless she was jumping from a branch. She was following him like some kind of spider monkey escort.

As he rounded a thicket of bushes a walker came ambling his way. But before he could even swing the bow off his shoulder she was dropping on it from the tree tops, silently dispatching it. Without so much as a glance his way she scurried back up a tree and was gone again, waiting for him to continue on.

Three-fourths of the way back to the farm he began really feeling his blood loss. While he slumped against a tree and tried to catch his breath she dropped down near by and offered him a small pouch off her makeshift belt. He accepted it and could have cried with relief when cool water passed his lips. There wasn't much and he was going to save some for her but he felt the pouch being smashed against his lips as she growled.  _'_ _All of it._ _'_

He handed it back empty and started to continue on his way but he stumbled and fell, weak and exhausted. He felt her lifting the arm on his good side over her shoulder as she hefted him into a standing position and motioned with a sweeping gesture of her hand, asking which way. Daryl pointed and carried his clumsy feet while she took the brunt of his weight and propelled them forward on equally clumsy legs, not used to walking upright.

Just a few yards shy of the edge of the woods that would give way to the field that separated them from Hershel's farm his legs gave out completely. An irritated and strangely human sigh left her lips that made him chuckle deliriously.

She pulled him onto her back completely and continued onward, her legs nearly buckling a few times under his full weight. When she broke outside the safety of the trees she lifted her head and stopped dead in her labored tracks as she spotted something that made true fear run through her. A house.


	3. My Daryl

 

 

 

 

It was a two story farm house. Nothing like the rectangular tin box from her nightmarish memories. But a structure with four terrifying walls none the less. It almost sent her fleeing back into the woods until she caught the scent of more humans, a fair sized group of them. A pack. His pack.

A flash of reflecting light caught her eye and she dropped flat to the ground immediately, Daryl right on top of her. She hefted his body up and flipped over so she was facing him. He was out cold. She tried shaking him, her attempts becoming more violent as his significantly paled skin under the muck sent alarms through her.  _'_ _Dead?!_ _'_

She coiled her hand back and gave him a hard smack across the face. Finally his ocean blue eyes cracked open and he slurred out "Waat".

She used her free hand to wrap around his jaw and turn his face in the direction of the house. He grunted in understanding and attempted to get up off her, failing without her rough assistance. She'd had just about enough of carrying his ass for today and refused to get any closer to the house.

Once he was standing upright on his own she pushed him in the direction of the house with an irritated growl.  _'_ _Get moving!_ _'_

When he started taking staggering steps forward she retreated back into the safety of the forest to climb up and watch his progress. About halfway through his trek she spotted two figures running from the farm in his direction. As she continued to watch him she noticed how similar he looked to a rotter.

Just as her mind processed what a danger that posed a shot loud as thunder rang out and he fell to the ground. Before he even hit it she was already on all fours racing through the field towards him, as fast as her burning arms and legs would carry her. When she reached him her face contorted in a pained expression and whine of anguish left her at the sight of more blood flowing from his head. She laid her ear against his chest and a wave of relief washed over her as his heartbeat echoed back at her in his chest cavity.

Rick and Shane ran towards what they assumed was the first walker to set foot on the farm but as they neared closer they recognized the figure of Daryl staggering along with his crossbow dragging behind him. Rick was about to call out to him when a gunshot tore through the air and he dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Fuckin' Andrea." Shane growled out in between huffs as they both ran faster.

Rick spotted a small dark animal running towards Daryl from the woods.

"What in tha hell is that!?" Shane yelled as he spotted it too.

It was on top of Daryl now and as they got closer it noticed them, spreading its body out over him in a defensive manner. They slowed their steps and drew their guns once they were only a few yards away.

"It's a girl." Rick murmured in amazement as he watched her crouch protectively over Daryl.

When he took a small step forward she took one as well, barring her teeth in a snarl and growling deeply.

Shane pulled back the hammer on his gun and took aim "She gotta be a walker listen ta her growlin'."

"No, look at her eyes, she's focused. Just..wild." Rick replied and motioned for Shane to lower his weapon.

"What man, like Tarzan? Fine she aint a walker but she at least got rabies, look at 'er!" Shane insisted as he motioned toward the primitive female.

Rick shook his head, motioning for him to back up and have a word with him. They took several paces backwards, never turning their backs on the wild woman.

"She don't look like she wants to do him any harm, she's protecting him. We need to get her to trust us enough to let us touch him an carry him to the house. He looks like he's lost a lot of blood and we need to get him to Hershel fast." Rick explained as he went into sheriff mode. "Now I need you to hang back and let me try to get through to her before Daryl bleeds out."

"Can ya do that for me?" Rick asked, placing his hand on Shane's shoulder.

Shane took one look at the snarling woman and put his hands up in surrender willingly.

"Sure, but lemmie tell you what, when she bites you an you start foamin' at the mouth I'ma have to be the one to take you out behind the shed like 'Ol yeller." he joked inappropriately with a half cracked smile.

When she heard one of them yell to the other she instantly went on guard, remembering the two she'd seen approaching from her perch. If she had hackles they would have been raised. She arranged her body the best she could to cover his while still being able to attack if needed. When they kept coming nearer and drew weapons  _'_ _Guns_ _'_ she dropped her body lower to his, ready to shield him or pounce.

One spoke and moved a step closer. She matched his step and curled her lips up, twitching, showing off her teeth in an aggressive display. Her low growl meant only one thing _._ _'_ _Mine!_ _'_ Her warning worked and they backed up, the one with hair was talking to the bald one with authority.  _'_ _Alpha?_ _'_

While they were occupied she chanced a glance back at her _…'_ _Mate?_ _'_ This would all be a lot easier if he were awake to help discern whether these were his people or not.

She reached her foot backwards to shove his shoulder without taking her eyes back off the pair. Nothing, not even a grunt. She was growing desperate and panicked. He would die soon without help.

Rick approached the girl slowly after placing his gun in his holster. Once he was within a few feet of her and Daryl she started growling again. He stopped moving and put up his hands to show he wasn't a threat. She wasn't buying it. She snatched her bone knife from its holder and slashed through the air, making it clear not to come any closer.

"I don't mean any harm" Rick promised softly, keeping eye contact with her.

She only growled louder in answer. Rick tried a different approach. Pointing at Daryl he said his name several times, always pointing in his direction. She stopped growling and looked quickly back at the prone figure behind her. Rick tried again slowly "Daaarrylll.". She pointed back at him and then at Rick in question. Rick motioned with his hands between himself and Daryl "Friends." after he pointed to himself and said "Rick.".

The alpha was coming back towards them. Though he put his gun away she still readied herself for a fight. She had no desire to lead a pack, but if she had to fight for the man behind her she would. When he kept moving closer she let loose her last warning rumble from deep in her chest. He stopped but raised his hands in what as supposed to be a friendly gesture. She wasn't looking to make friends.

The knife at her belt came out and swiped through the air.  _'_ _Get back!_ _'_ He tried speaking to her but it only angered her more. She didn't have time for this. He spoke the same word several times while pointing at her man.

' _Daryl? Name. Daryl. Mine. My Daryl. Dying Daryl._ _'_   She did not trust him but she had little choice. He was losing more blood and she had no way make it stop.

Reluctantly she put her knife away and waved for him to come closer with a jerk of her hand. Once he was standing on the other side of Daryl she pointed to the arrow in his side and the gash in his head along with the bullet graze on the other side.

"Help, we will help him." Rick told her while pointing at the same wounds.

She began hoisting Daryl up by his arm and waited for Rick to get his injured side. Once they had his weight equally distributed between them they started carrying him. Though the situation was dire and he was unconscious she couldn't help but feel pleased when his head lulled to rest on her chest.

As they approached Shane he reached out towards the ear necklace Daryl sported, earning a growl and glare from her. "Why's he wearin' ears?"

"I don't know but lets keep it to ourselves." Rick replied as he removed it from around Daryl's neck and stuffed them into his shirt pocket much to her dislike.

As they neared the house a blond woman came running towards them.

"Oh my god is that Daryl? I didn-" She let out a gasp as the woman carrying Daryl's side let out a vicious snarl, warning her off.

"Wwhat hell- who is that?" Andrea asked while quickly backpedaling and putting as much space in between herself and the dirty woman as possible.

"Daryl's jungle queen." Shane quipped from behind them.

Rick ignored him, instructing Andrea to run ahead and warn Hershel that they were coming. Once the house was only a few feet away the woman balked and twisted her head around reluctantly to Shane. She beckoned sternly for him to take her place and once she was free of Daryl's weight she sped to the closest tree.

The tree the group had made camp under in Hershel's front yard.


	4. Welcome to Civilization

 

 

 

There were people all around now, having come out to see what the gunshot was about. She pressed herself close into the tree's leaves, well practiced at hiding in them.

She'd climbed high enough that when they brought Daryl into the upstairs bedroom she could see straight across. It wasn't close enough to her liking. She dropped from her perch, causing a few of the women to scream as she scaled the porch railing and then the roof. Not stopping to look back at what made the horrible ear piercing noises she continued scaling the structure.

Thankfully the window was wide open so she could see and hear everything clearly without actually entering the house. They'd laid him out on a  _'_ _bed?_ _'_ and taken his undershirt and pants off before leaving the room for an older human with white hair to enter. She watched with frantic eyes as Hershel tended to Daryl's wounds. The old man's assistant let out a little shriek when she spotted the woman at the window, making Hershel stop to seek out the cause of her outburst and Rick to rush back in.

"Patricia, don't be afraid she's only concerned about Daryl, just ignore her and stay away from the window." Rick ordered before turning to Hershel "We can discuss the matter later, right now Daryl needs help."

The old man nodded and resumed his stitching of Daryl's side. The blond woman's yelp didn't even faze her, her attention was souly on the figure in the bed.

When Daryl let out a small moan she clutched the windowsill without a second thought and climbed through. The blond woman dropped the utensils she was holding on the bed and ran from the room screaming about animals being in the house which Hershel ignored.

Again the woman's attention was only on Daryl as she slowly approached the bed from the opposite side the old man was perched on. She sat on the floor next to the bed the way a dog would, all four limbs planted on the ground, only her eyes and nose peeking over the edge of the bed.

Hershel paused wrapping gauze half way around when he realized he needed someone to lift Daryl's head.

"Dear, could you lift his head, I need to wrap it." He asked, looking over at the woman who was watching Daryl like a hawk.

She only spared a glance his way, not having the attention span to comprehend his words right now. He demonstrated with his own hands, and then pointed to her. She crawled onto the bed, leaving dirt smears on the sheets from her coated skin. As she started to reach for his head Hershel motioned to stop her, eliciting a small growl. He left his hand near hers and pointed in between his clean hand and her dirty one

"That'll cause an infection." he tried to explain, She tilted her head and tried to understand.

Hadn't he just wanted her help?  _'_ _Dirt._ _'_ She looked between their hands and then scraped a nail along hers to remove a line of it before holding it up for his inspection. He gave her a small smile and nodded

"Yes that's right." he imitated washing his hands next before hollering for Maggie.

Maggie came running up the stairs two at a time after what Patricia had said about a wild animal woman being loose in the house. Hopefully her father hadn't gotten himself bitten trying to play veterinarian with this creature. She entered the spare bedroom and was shocked to find the woman perched on the bed with Daryl laid out between her and her father. The lady was covered in thick dirt, the same dirt that had covered Daryl before Patricia had wiped him down. She was also wrapped in animal furs, some of which did nothing to cover her nudity.

"Y-yes daddy?" she asked once she was able to find her voice.

"Maggie be a dear and get this girl cleaned up, ya need to help her, I doubt she knows how to work a shower. And give her some of your old clothes too." Hershel instructed.

Maggie looked back to the woman who was looking only at Daryl. "I doubt she want's a shower daddy, how do you suggest I coax her in there? With raw meat?"

Hershel rounded on his daughter, "Maggie Evilyn Green I will not have you mocking that poor girl, she is a human being not an animal."

Maggie hung her head in shame, apologizing to her father before she left to collect some clothes and get the shower running.

The old man and a young female were talking. She didn't care what they were saying. She just didn't want the girl coming any closer to Daryl. She wanted to touch him but she was dirty, the old man had explained the mixture she used to hide herself from the noses of the dead was bad. Unsanitary. For her it was good. She was confused.

She knew she had once been a part of their world, looked, walked, talked and acted like them. She also knew the cruel life she had been subjected to was not the norm in their world either.

The young female left and came back, she was speaking, trying to get the filthy woman's attention on her and off the man before her. She looked up as the girl got closer, letting out a growl of warning. Rather that be scared of the hostile attention now on her the girl used it to her advantage and made the same washing motions with her hands as the old man had done, only extending them along her arms and body.  _'_ _Wash? Bathe?_ _'_

The woman mimicked her and the girl nodded, waving for her to follow. She didn't move. Only looking back to Daryl and then old man, who pointed at the girl and waved in the direction of the doorway that lead further into the house. She didn't want to leave him or the room. Truthfully, she was scared.

As Maggie kept making quite coaxing noises, the same ones she used on the horses when they were spooked she watched as the woman slowly descended from the bed, walking on hands and feet cautiously towards her. Maggie kept backing up until she was in the hallway, gradually making progress towards the bathroom.

Once the woman made it to the doorway she stopped and timidly peeked her head around the frame. Checking for danger or any kind of deceptions. Seeing the coast was clear she bolted for the doorway the girl was standing in front of and waving towards. She was anxious as the girl followed her inside the small room but relieved when the door was left open.

Maggie was more than a little startled when the beastly woman started running in her direction at full speed but she wasn't about to screech like Patricia. Instead she directed the woman into the bathroom with arm waving, like she was directing a 747 into a terminal.

Walking over to the already filled claw foot tub she started pointing and waving her hand around in the water. She knew her father had said a shower but she figured the water beating down on the woman might spook her, instead opting for a bath, more like the ponds she probably bathed in.

"Come on now, it's just water." Maggie said softly as the woman stopped at the edge of the tub, peeking over the lip.

She watched as a dirt caked hand dipped into the water and swirled around, testing it. Maggie reached for the fur wrapped around her but quickly recoiled when she let out what almost resembled a bark.

"Ya gotta take it off and get in." she told her, motioning with her own clothing.

The woman must have understood more than they gave her credit for because she started unwrapping the animal pelts from around her blackened body, dropping them in a heap on the floor.

_'Maybe she's just mute.'_ Maggie thought to herself as she averted her eyes from the woman's nudity.

After she heard splashing she chanced a peek and found her sitting in the water, legs tucked into chest, arms curled around them, dirt swirling off her. Turning the water brown. Maggie felt proud she'd accomplished this much so far.

Getting her to let Maggie shampoo her hair was a different story.

"You wanna smell pretty for Daryl don't you?" she asked, waving the bottle under her nose.

The soap and washcloth had caught on quick but the comb and conditioner was an epic battle. After almost getting bitten Maggie finally roared back at her "Enough!"

The now clean facial features of the woman scowled back at her, a little surprise mixed in. Finally she relented with an irritated growl and turned her back to Maggie, allowing her to continue working through the jumble of knots that was her hair.

The towel wasn't grabbed quick enough and Maggie ended up soaked when the woman shook her body out like a dog, an odd sound similar to laughter coming from her at Maggie's screech.

The woman made to put the skins back on but Maggie's yell of horror and small rant stopped her. "Oh hell no! I did not just go through all that for you to be putting dirty ass animal fur on!"

Quickly Maggie offered her the pile of clothes sitting on the toilet and snatched the furs from the floor. The woman let out a snarl and grabbed for something in the pile, the makeshift belt that contained her weapon and other necessary things. After letting that one thing go Maggie again pointed at the pile of clean clothes and then left, closing the door partially and holding the soiled skins away from her body. Headed straight for the trash can.

She rifled through the stack of neatly folded clothes, ignoring the bra and panties completely. She clumsily slipped the ratty denim cutoffs up her scarred legs, pleased to find she could string her belt through the loops after taking the items off and re-attaching them. Next came the simple black spaghetti strap cami, she appreciated the coolness the thin cotton material afforded. Maggie had provided another shirt to go over that but she wasn't interested.

Now covered, her only objective was getting back to Daryl.


	5. Carrots

 

 

 

 

The woman did the same safety check and mad dash down the hall. Only to slam head first into the door of the bedroom Daryl occupied. After shaking it off she got back up and started scratching at the door frantically. Panicked at not being able to get back in.

She glanced up to the gleaming brass knob and grasped is as it's function came back to her. It turned under her hand and she jumped back, only to barrel in as soon as the door opened a crack.

She bounded up to the bed and hopped on, seating herself between Daryl's bare feet. He was awake and staring at her with wide eyes.

Rick and Daryl jumped when a crash against the door tore their attention from the map they had been scouring in between them for the location where Daryl had found Sophia's doll.

"Tha' fuck was that?" Daryl hissed, grabbing his knife from the bedside table while something scratched at the door from the other side.

He handed it over to Rick who moved to open the door, knife raised at head level in case a walker had gotten into the house.

Rick opened the door and lost his footing when a blur low to the ground forced its way into the room. It was her, the woman.

Daryl stared in shock at the woman now sitting between his feet. She was clean and dressed in actual clothes, though not much. Her still damp hair hung around her face and shoulders, hiding her expression from view. He fidgeted uncomfortably as she stared right back at him from behind her curtain of dripping locks.

Daryl turned his head to Rick who was picking himself up off the floor and dusting his jeans off. "What tha' hell she doin' here?"

"Actually I was hopin' you could tell me the same thang." Rick replied. "After you got shot she just came racin' outta the woods, wouldn't let me or Shane near you, standing guard."

A sharp smack to his leg brought Daryl's attention back to her.  _'Look at me!'_ She turned around slowly, showing off her new clothes and state of cleanliness, proud. Daryl didn't really know how to react so he gave a nod of his head in approval. It seemed to satisfy her.

She jumped down and situated herself on the window sill, half in, half out. Leaving the men to discuss her.

"She saved my ass down in the ravine, couple times." Daryl gruffly admitted to Rick. "Fed me, carried me when I couldn' walk." He turned away from Rick's gaze, partly in shame, partly to look at the creature on the sill some more.

The setting sun illuminated her silhouette, sending flares or gold and red through her dark brown locks drying in the steady breeze coming through the open window. Right then, posed like that she looked like a regular girl, just daydreaming out her bedroom window. The kind of girl Daryl always wanted to talk to in high school but never quite found the guts to. She was beautiful.

He watched as she huffed at the breeze, her head snapping in the direction of the barn. She let out a low growl and jumped back inside, peering out at the building like the devil was inside. Little did they all know something much worse was lurking within.

The red building reeked like the dead. She was ashamed she had not picked up the stench earlier. Straining her ears she could barely make out the shuffling of feet, lots of them. She backed inside the window, ready to protect Daryl. The longer she stared at the building she realized it was keeping them in _. 'Caged.'_

She knew that feeling, though she held no sympathy for the creatures. They would have to wait for now, she wasn't letting Daryl out of her sight again until he was healed enough to defend himself.

She continued her vigil of the land surrounding the farm, her eyes venturing back to the barn every once in a while. The bald one had joined the alpha on her mate's bed, discussing a piece of paper laid out before them. She was relieved when the sound of their retreating footsteps met her ears. Only to have her relief cut short when a grey haired female entered the room, carrying a tray of food.

The woman turned her full attention on the new figure, ready to stake claim to her territory if needed. The grey haired one approached cautiously, setting the tray of food down on the bedside table before looking to Daryl, speaking to him. His only answer to her words was a nod. He spoke just about as much as she did herself, something the undomesticated female enjoyed about him.

When grey hair stepped too close and started to lean towards her Daryl she sprang, leaping onto the bed, covering him with her body and growling with teeth barred much like earlier that day. Daryl's flinch at the small woman's actions did not go unnoticed by her as she was jumping onto the bed. The smaller woman let out a timid squeak and backed quickly out of the room, leaving them alone.

"Well god damn why doncha jus piss on ma leg an get it over with." Daryl grumbled from underneath her.

He understood animal behavior quite well. The fierce woman saw him as hers. He didn't quite know how he felt about that development.

She carefully crawled back to the side of the bed he wasn't occupying and sat cross-legged, looking down in embarrassment at his reprimanding tone, fiddling with a frayed edge of the distressed shorts. Quickly getting over it she looked up to find him staring at her again, a strange look in his baby blues.

She looked over to the tray of food, then back at him, jutting her chin in the direction of the food.  _'Eat.'_ When he winced in pain at twisting to grab the tray she laid a firm hand on his calf.  _'Let me.'_

Standing up on two legs she wobbly practiced walking, keeping the bed within reach the entire way around. Daryl observed, mentally comparing her to that of a newborn foul trying out its legs for the first time. Amazed she'd managed to carry him such a ways with so little coordination and balance.

She dropped to her knees in front of the stand, placing the tray gently on Daryl, making sure to keep the legs away from his bandage. She sat back on her heels, waiting for him to eat.

"Ya gonna watch me tha whole damn time too?" Daryl snapped at the woman looking expectantly up at him.

He didn't mean to be a dick, he just wasn't used to having so much attention on him, not just from her but from the entire group as well. He didn't know how to handle it. Thankfully once he bit into a piece of broccoli she turned around to rest her back on the side of the bed, giving Daryl his privacy.

He ate watching the back of her head wearily, not quite sure what to make of her. Many of her mannerisms were distinctly canine aside from scaling trees with the skill of a gorilla. Daryl thought humorously of how he'd always wanted a dog as a kid.

Experimentally he picked the longest carrot off his plate and slowly moved it into her line of vision next to her face. Her head snapped around quickly, her face slightly alarmed before she realized it was only food, not a weapon. She glanced once in between his face and the carrot, unsure. Her squirrel lunch and long ago been digested for energy to haul Daryl through the forest and she was starving.

Slowly, she opened her mouth and accepted a length of the carrot inside before biting it off, chewing hurriedly. It was acceptable. She snatched the rest from his hand and padded to the corner with it in her mouth, sitting down with her back turned to him while she devoured it. Leafy green end included.

Once finished she resumed her spot beside his bed. When Daryl tried offering her a piece of broccoli she shifted away, refusing to take any more of the food that should be going to him. When Daryl finished she collected the tray, sliding it in front of her along the floor. She mastered the doorknob and peeked through the crack before sliding it outside, quickly shutting the door behind it.

Daryl studied her as she curled up on the floor, her back pressed tightly against the door, arm tucked under her head. He couldn't help but notice how small she looked in that moment.

The realization at the magnitude of her actions hit him like a brick. No one had ever done so much to care for him his entire life, let alone the first day they met him. Never strived so hard to ensure his survival. Not even his mother had ever put his life before her own the way this savage female had.

He watched in disbelief as her eyes drift closed. Even in sleep she was offering herself up for his well being by putting her body in between the entrance and him.

Swallowing an uncomfortable ball of gratitude mixed with something else he couldn't quite handle acknowledging he switched off the bedside lamp and lay down, passing out soon after with dreams of animal skins and feeling loved playing behind his closed lids.

Hours later Daryl awoke to the sound of whimpering and murmuring. She was talking in her sleep.


	6. Possessed Potty

 

 

 

 

Her whimpering intensified into full on broken sobs.

"Nnnoo. No moar, pleeazze."

Her words becoming more recognizable as her pained mantra continued. Daryl listened from the mattress, her voice sending chills up his spine. It was deep and gravely from years of only producing growls consciously, sounding eerily like a girl possessed in one of those exorcism movies.

He was conflicted on what to do. It hadn't been her moans and pleas that had woken him, it had been the loud crack of Georgia thunder and an unmistakable pressure in his bladder. She was still pressed firmly against the door.

"No!" she outright screamed, thrashing in her night terror.

Daryl slowly sat up, wincing at the protesting sting in his side. His intense need to pee outweighing his fear of being attacked. He approached her small writhing figure cautiously.

"Ay.." he paused, realizing he didn't have a name to call her by. "Girl, wake up, I gotta piss." he announced loudly, his hopes of her waking up without him having to get too close going to shit when she didn't even stir, only continuing her begging and twitching.

Watching it up close was even more disturbing, Daryl shuttered at the sight. Kneeling down he poked her in the shoulder quickly before scooting back out of reach.

"Wake up." he attempted again, still nothing. He leaned forward once more as she let out another sob, shaking her shoulder hard.

He didn't retreat quick enough this time and her tiny bear trap of a hand clamped over his wrist, squeezing unnaturally hard. Her eyes snapped open at Daryl's yelp. They were dilated to the size of dinner plates, focused but not seeing the man before her. Her body tensed and then began to convulse as though she were having a seizure before it went limp save for the painful grasp on Daryl's arm.

"Let go!" he yelled at her seemingly unconscious form.

A loud gasp came from her just before a flash of lightning and boom of thunder, making him jump.

She gasped for air, the same way she always seemed to wake each time after her torture filled slumber, shaking and quivering as electric jolts ran through her body. Each time she woke it seemed she could see a little better, run a little faster, hear a bit sharper, go a little longer without eating. It no longer phased her anymore. It simply was just the way her body worked now.

This time was different though, she didn't wake alone and there was something warm in her grasp.

_'Daryl'_

Before she even lifted her head to take in his terrified face she could smell his fear, his pain.

She released him immediately as soon as she realized she was the cause of that pain and fear, pressing herself back against the door, hanging her head in shame.

Daryl recoiled, rubbing his quickly bruising wrist, shocked at her strength and the display he had just witnessed.

_'Shit maybe she is possessed.'_ he though to himself before his bladder once again made its presence known with a painful twinge.

_'Come on be a man, she's half your size.'_ he told himself, trying to gather the balls to get to the bathroom before he pissed his pants.

Standing carefully, using the dresser for assistance, he took small cautious steps towards her. Her head snapped up at his approach, expression holding remorse and sorrow through the strands covering it. She calmly crawled towards him, stopping inches from him when he tensed.

Leaning her face forward to brush against his leg she nuzzled into it, working her face back and fourth in apology.  _'I'm sorry.'_

Daryl grunted, understanding her actions more often than he'd like. When he stepped around her, moving towards the door she intervened, sandwiching herself in front of it, pointing back at the bed.  _'Go to sleep.'_

He huffed, frustrated.

"Goddamnit woman move, I gotta pee!" he growled at her, reaching for the doorknob and trying to open the door against her weight.

She let out a frustrated huff of her own, turning around in what little space was afforded her, sitting on Daryl's feet and slamming the door closed but a crack from what he had opened it in her short absence against it. She peeked out, keeping one hand firmly on the door to thwart his attempts. Allowing it to open a fair gap more she poked her head out, checking for danger in the darkness.

Once satisfied she let the door go, hopping forward into the hall off his feet to allow him movement. She kept beside him during the short trip to the familiar small room, dashing ahead of him to check the room for threats, including behind the shower curtain encircling the bathtub.

When he hurried into the room right after her she scampered back to the door, closing it swiftly before sitting against it.

"Get out, I gotta go!" Daryl near whined, hopping from foot to foot in a little pee dance and making a shooing motion with the hand that wasn't holding his crotch.

She shook her head before closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the door.

A sigh, a zipper and then a stream followed by a moan of relief met her ears. She peeked one eye open to find Daryl with his head hung back and his mouth slack in alleviation, a golden stream shooting from his lower waist area. The angle at which the door sat afforded him some modesty, the source of the stream blocked by his hips.

She shut her eye quickly when the trickling sound stopped, keeping up the illusion of privacy. A flush signaled her eyes to open, Daryl facing her coming into view. She moved away from the door towards the toilet, wanting to try it.

When he started moving to leave she snagged a firm grip on his pant leg, not wanting to grab his wrist again. He turned to find her trying to fumble with the button on her shorts one-handedly, looking up at him in confusion. She'd managed to get them on just fine, she couldn't understand why they wouldn't come off. She stood up, thrusting her hips toward his hand, rubbing against it.

The tips of Daryl's ears turned red at her, innocent to her, plea for assistance as she ground herself against his hand. He quickly unbuttoned and unzipped her shorts with clumsy hands. She watched closely, memorizing his movements so she could do it herself next time.

Daryl didn't avert his eyes quick enough when she blatantly without warning dropped trow right in front of him, catching a glimpse of the thick wiry curls between her thighs. He tried walking away to let her do her business but a finger slipping into his belt loop stopped him. She didn't trust him not to leave. He swatted at her hand without looking behind him.

"I ain't goin nowhere, let me loose!" he demanded, tugging free of her finger and moving to lean against the door, eyes closed.

He couldn't help but peek just once and what he saw made him burst out in laughter. She was imitating his stance aside from standing directly over the toilet bowl and bending her knees slightly. She looked over at the sound of his laughter, cocking her head to the side at him while she peed.  _'What?'_

"Girls'r supposta sit on tha seat." he drawled out, shutting his eyes again before they lingered too long on her butt.

She let out a huff at his words, not too concerned with what she was doing incorrectly. The proper use of toilet paper was not lost to her though, after years of leaves she was appreciative of the simple comfort most people took for granted.

"Gotta wash yer hands." Daryl grumbled out, making the universal motion with his hands after she reapplied her shorts and crawled over to him.

She looked at his hands confused, then back at the toilet and back at his hands.

"I don't gotta 'm a guy...know what it don't matter yer hands er on the ground ninety percenta tha time anyway." he trailed off, mumbling more to himself than her.

She demanded he let her do her standard check before releasing him into the hallway, scampering into the bedroom before him to do a safety sweep. Daryl made his way to the bed to lie down, watching uncertainly as she closed the door and pressed herself against it once more, this time sitting, no longer able to sleep.

Another flash of lightning illuminated her face, eyes blank and staring straight ahead at nothing, recalling her dream, more of a memory really. Test tubes and cold metal, white coats and needles, cages and examination tables. Those memories were much worse than the earlier ones of belts and the scent of whiskey breath.

She jarred herself from it, not wanting to spend another waking moment in the hellish world of her broken memories. Another bolt illuminated the room and she caught a brilliant flash of blue staring at her before darkness swallowed it up again.

She wanted to go sit beside his bed, curl up in it with him. But she knew her place was there, on the hard floor, standing guard, protecting him. She laid her head back against the wood, wondering how she was to protect him from the thing inside her, that coursed through her veins, that grew stronger every night. An ache squeezed through her heart when she found the answer.

_'Leave.'_


	7. Family Meeting

 

 

 

 

The light started faint at first, growing in intensity until a strip of sunlight shone on the wall across from her. She would pick a spot on the wall and once the light reached it she resoluted to crawl out the window and never look back. For him, for Daryl. The only problem was she kept moving the spot of departure, inching it further and further away from the beam as it approached.  _'Selfish creature.'_

She'd spent her night mining the diamonds of her vocabulary, surprising herself at its depth and hidden gems. A few of the memories that resurfaced along with certain words may have been better off left buried.

"Test subject 189 is positive, the creature is a success."

"Jesus don't love selfish little girls, daddy needs tha money don't be selfish bitch."

Another thump of her head against the door counted as one more failed attempt to get the new images out of her brain. She let her head lull to the side, allowed herself to greedily watch him sleep peacefully a few moments more. The small purple hand-shaped bruise encircling his wrist shown back at her from its place underneath his face. A testament to the damage she could cause if she wasn't careful. A shining reminder screaming at her to leave.

Just as she forced herself to start crawling away from the door his breathing changed, becoming lighter, sending her back to her original spot. She'd stay just a little longer. Just to see those oh so rare to her eyes one more time.

He kept his eyes closed even after he woke. Lying there, thinking about what hallucination Merle had said to him, about him being the only one to ever care about Daryl, his only kin. About the group laughing behind his back and only seeing him as a lesser member, the hick, the redneck squirrel muncher. But his inner demon was wrong. Carol had told him he was every bit as good as Rick and Shane. And it seemed he'd found a companion willing to lay down her life for him in ways he wasn't even confident Merle would.

He felt breath against his hand dangling over the bed's side. Then a light rubbing of skin before an entire expanse was pressed against his palm, rubbing back and fourth. Daryl cracked open one eye to find the girl rubbing her face against his hand slowly, sorrow etched in her features, a tear spilling over onto her cheek. He shut his eye on the glistening droplet, confused. She hadn't shed tears last night during her pained screaming. Why now?

When he felt her heated flesh leave his palm he opened his eyes again to find her making her way to the window, perching on the ledge and turning back to look at him, brown meeting crystal blue. Then she was gone, slinking out the window. An irrational wave of panic seized Daryl. Only when he was a small boy and Merle was getting hauled away in a cop car did he ever feel this at another person leaving.

"Ay, where you goin'!" he called out, his voice breaking a little as he sat up on one elbow in bed. He waited a moment to see if she was coming back before carefully getting out of bed and making his way to the window sill.

She heard his exclamation. More water spilled from her eyes, a new occurrence for her. How could she leave when he was calling out for her, like a cub yowling out to its deserter mother. She stopped at the edge of the roof, gripping the gutter, letting more tears spill, hating whatever they'd put inside her that was a danger to Daryl.

"Don' go." came a soft plea from behind her.

She looked over her shoulder to find him half hanging out the window, arms supporting him on the sill, bending at an angle that couldn't be good for his stitches.

She shook her head, shooing him away with her hand, emitting a small growl.  _'Let me go.'_

She looked back again to find his face screwed up in hurt anger. They all leave. His mom, his dad, his brother, all abandoned him. Why not her too.

"Fine, go on then, aint no body want ya's here anyhow!" he yelled, slamming the window shut so hard the glass threatened to shatter.

The rest of her body turned with her head now. Slowly she crawled across the shingles, peering inside to find him curled up on the bed holding himself, his marred back facing her.  _'One more day.'_

Daryl heard the window scraping along its track and then felt a small weight settling on the bed. She reached out timidly, touching his shoulder lightly. He ignored her, not able to handle the sight of her still being here, proving she was different, not leaving him. She let out a sighed exhale of air before lying down behind him, not touching him save for pressing her forehead against the back of his neck. He stiffened only for a second this time before easing at her touch.

They stayed like that for a long while before footsteps were heard in the hall, she'd been listening to them chatter, move about the house for the duration of her time in his bed but now a set approached the door to his room. When the handle began to turn she sprang up, putting her hands on the other side of his body to crouch over him.

The door opened to reveal Rick, tray in hand, two plates of eggs balanced there on. She eased up at recognizing him, sitting back behind Daryl, moving to observe from the end of the bed and give them some space.

"Mornin' yall." Rick greeted, placing the tray on the bedside table. Daryl gave a nod, her only an unwavering stare.

"How are you feelin'?" he asked Daryl, eyes flitting from the bandage wrapped around his head to the one on his side.

"Had worse, I'll be alright." he drawled out, moving to sit up further on the pillow.

Rick cleared his throat, glancing at the girl before looking back to Daryl. "We're havin' a group meeting about your little friend here after breakfast so's we can all discuss her joining us or leaving."

Daryl nodded again, eyes downcast, not looking forward to the inevitable argument with Shane that was bound to come.

"Hershel'll be up to check the stitches and change the bandages before that. He says you're good to move to your tent but to stay on bed rest, no excessive movement." Rick continued, shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

Wild stories had been circulating around camp, everyone was anxious to deal with the new presence, judge if she was a threat. Hershel and of course Dale were already on her side but the rest..were skeptical, Shane was of course against her being there.

With a nod of his own Rick left them to their breakfast. Daryl grabbed the tray, this time only a slight wince produced at his twisting. He held her plate out to her but she only shook her head, pointing to him and then both plates.  _'All for you.'_

"Ya gotta eat." he argued, shoving the plate in her direction again.

She took it this time, only to dump the contents onto his plate, causing him to scowl at her.

"Fuckin' stubborn." Daryl grumbled before digging into his doubled portion.

He was touched by her actions though he didn't show it, once again putting him before herself.

Truthfully she didn't need that much food to survive, the carrot of last night was gone but she still didn't feel the pangs of hunger yet. She watched as he shoveled the yellow substance into his mouth with a utensil. She grunted for his attention, a very unladylike sound. Daryl looked up from his breakfast to find her imitating his motions before pointing to her discarded fork on the tray and tilting her head in question.

"S' a fork. Ya eat with it." he told her lamely, unused to having to explain simple things like the use of silverware to someone.

If the toilet was any indication she'd want to try it out herself. He scooped a small portion of eggs onto her plate, added the fork and handed it to her. She accepted, setting the plate beside her to examine the prongs of the tool, pressing her finger against them to test their sharpness.

Once satisfied with her exploration of it she attempted to use it. Failing several times when the eggs fell back to her plate before reaching her mouth, stabbing herself in the tongue with an empty fork once much to Daryl's entertainment. She growled at his amused chuckle, throwing the fork at him and sucking the eggs off the plate with her mouth like a hoover which only made Daryl shake with quiet laughter.

Maggie came to collect the dishes and went. Hershel was next to visit them, tending to Daryl quickly and predicting a speedy recovery.

Soon the time came for them to venture downstairs to attend the group meeting. She kept close to Daryl right up until the stairs came. She let out a little whine when he was half way down, she was attempting to crawl down them on all fours, almost falling down them head first.

"Get down on yer ass and scoot." he instructed her, sitting down on a step and demonstrating once.

She huffed at him and his ridiculous solution. Once she was down far enough that the ceiling wasn't in her way she jumped over the railing, landing with a smack against the hardwood. Shaking off the slight sting she scurried to his side, keeping close to his legs.

When they entered their destined room every person went quiet. Except for Hershel who instructed Daryl to lay on the couch, much to his embarrassment and dislike. As he laid down on his side she sat in front of the couch, her back pressed tight to the cushions, legs bent, hands placed on the floor between them. She peered around from her protective curtain of brunette strands, looking at each face. Some she recognized, some she was seeing for the first time. All of them staring at her.

Daryl felt the cushion she was pressed against vibrate when she began to tremble, he cleared his throat and offered a gruff "S' okay.".

She looked back at him, terrified of a group of humans but fearless against a pack of walkers. Without warning she leaped onto the couch, squeezing herself in between the back cushion and his legs. Clutching the leg on top of the other for comfort and support.

"Are we really going to do this with her present." Lori asked, breaking the silence and crossing her bony arms.

"Good luck pryin' er off me." Daryl retorted, trying to pull his leg away only for it to be snatched right back into her lap.

"Alright then, why don't we start by Daryl telling us all what happened." Hershel spoke, all eyes turning to Daryl.

He knew how she felt how, the expectant eyes of everyone boring into him at the same time.

"She came droppin' outta nowhere, killed a geek that almost took a bite outta me, killed a lot of em' real fast. She's good at that." Daryl continued unsure if he should admit the next part but decided it was best for the good of the group for them to know. "Walkers 'r scared a her, they started runnin' away an she went after em', took down as many as she could catch b'fore they took off in tha woods."

All at once questions exploded from all directions.

"What do you mean scared of her?"

"How many?"

"Should she really be here if the dead are afraid of her?"

"What if she's dangerous?"

"If she's geek repellent I'm all for it."

"Enough!" Rick yelled over the din, demanding silence. "Daryl can you elaborate?" Rick asked, rising a surprised eyebrow at this new information.

"After she killed one she let out a real weird growl, almost a roar I guess. All of 'em stopped an looked at er, even the ones comin' after me. Then they started bookin' it as fast as a walker can." Daryl grumbled out, not sure what more he could say.

"Man I told ya there's sumthin' wrong with 'er!" Shane started at Rick. "She was crouchin' over 'em like a wolf protectin' its dinner when we rolled up." he told the rest of the group. "An now we find out them dead bastards r' afraid a her? Don't sound right ta me. We should drop er back in the woods."

"No use, she'd find er way back real quick, she's a natural out there, think she can smell an hear from great distances too." Daryl told him, shifting his weight around on the couch.

"And why do you think that is?" Hershel asked, genuinely interested in her apparent abilities.

Being a veterinarian gave him a special interest in keeping this wild girl around if she posed no threat to his daughters.

"Don' know I reckon her senses were sharpened survivin' out in the wild." Daryl muttered, feeling especially irritated since she was mute and he was forced to answer all the questions he didn't have answers to.

Through all their talking she kept her head down, playing with a string on Daryl's ripped pants. She knew they were discussing her, with all the speaking she was beginning to understand more words and phrases. Daryl nudging her with his foot brought her attention to his face.

"How you smell, hear, see, an move so good?" he inquired, pointing to his nose eyes, ears and then legs as he asked.

She frowned, not wanting him to know about what was inside her, whatever it was, but knowing she had to come up with an answer. She uncurled her arms from around his leg, presenting her inner arms to him, showing the track marks riddling her skin from an abundant amount of needles entering her veins.

Hershel came closer to inspect them, taking her arms gently in his hands on the second attempt when she didn't jerk away.

"She's been injected with something a number of times, the needle was much larger than average and it was a triple pronged device." he deduced, releasing her.

"So what she's some kinda science experiment er somethin'?" Shane asked, not impressed with the answer to their questions.

Daryl decided to keep last night's incident to himself after the reaction to her already odd behavior.

"Does it really matter? She's still a human being!" Dale chimed in, always the moral compass of the group.

"We aint never gonna know what happened less she starts talkin'. She's a good hunter an protector, puts other people before herself, she could be an asset to the group." Daryl said loudly with an air of finality. He was done arguing.

"She seemed alright to me when I was bathing her." Maggie piped up. "An she only tried to bite me once but that was 'caus I was yanking a knot out of her hair" she offered in the girl's defense. "It seems like if you don't get too close to Daryl and you don't pull her hair she's not a threat."

"Lets put it to a vote. Majority rules." Rick told them all.

"Those in favor."

Daryl, Hershel, Dale, Rick, Maggie, Glen, and then T-dog raised their hands.

"Those opposed"

Shane, Lori, Patricia, Andrea, and Carol looked back sourly at the other six, not bothering to raise theirs.

"That's the end of it, she stays." Rick commanded when Shane tried to argue.

"If she wants to." Daryl mumbled under his breath, too quiet for anyone to hear but her.


	8. Natural Predator

 

 

Daryl watched her from his cot through the screened ceiling of his tent. Her inhuman movements and mannerisms were even more unsettling now that she looked like an actual person instead of a wild woodland creature.

He was treated to the show of her slowly stalking an owl high up in the tree limbs above him. Her patient movements slow, silent, and fluid. As the bird's head began to rotate in her direction it only had time to let out the briefest of shrieks along with a flurry of feathers and talons before her lightning fast hands were snapping its neck.

With the fowl in her mouth she retreated to the lowest branch, settling herself against the trunk with a brief downward glance to check on him before grey feathers began to rain down. As the crunch of bones snapping and wings being torn off met his ears Daryl marveled at just how capable she was, just like him. Hunters, survivors, warriors. They were made for this world.

The sound of footsteps nearing the flimsy structure containing her counterpart made her plucking fingers cease. The blond female who had first approached them after Daryl got shot was making her way towards his dwelling.

Stuffing her prey in between her teeth she dropped down, startling the yellow haired woman enough to let out a yip, denying her entrance to the tent. Daryl's grumble about Andrea being alright went ignored as she firmly planted herself in front of opening, blocking the other woman's way.

Goldie seemed content to speak with him from the allowed distance with a grunted answer from Daryl here or there. Until she tried stepping closer with the book she'd clutched to her chest in fright at the woman's surprise entrance. A growl along with some feathers thrown her way made Andrea stop, instead opting to extend the paperback her way.

"It's for Daryl." she explained, holding the novel out for the woman to give him while pointing to said man with her other hand.

Once again placing her prize in her mouth she snatched the book from Andrea's hand, loping inside to deliver it to him before returning to her spot. With a few more words exchanged the wheat haired woman left, leaving Daryl and his guard alone.

"Ya don't gotta protect me from 'em, they aint gonna hurt me." he gruffly barked her way, slightly embarrassed at her babying him.

She let out a scoffing breath, turning her head to the side and running a finger along her temple, imitating the spot where the bullet had grazed him. When she raised her arm to do so Daryl noticed three talon sized gashes marring her forearm.

"Screecher gotcha." he muttered pointing to the wounds.

She looked down at them, unconcerned as they'd already stopped bleeding. Propping the source of her injury against the tent side she entered, coming to sit at his bedside. Wanting to prove a theory she had about herself being an abnormality she rested her arm on the cots edge, pointing to the rips in her skin.

Daryl observed them, wondering what he was supposed to be looking at until they slowly began to disappear, her skin closing together, mending itself until only three thin white scar lines remained. The look on his face gave her all the answer she needed. Her healing rate was not normal for a human.

"What tha fuck." he whispered in awe, staring at the scar tissue as he absentmindedly ran a finger over them.

She let out something similar to a purr, making Daryl snatch his hand away, realizing he'd been caressing the marks.

With a disappointed grunt she turned away, resuming her earlier work of feather plucking. Nearing the end of her task she snapped the lower half of the bird's legs off, making the man sporting a baseball cap stop in his approaching tracks. An audible gulp leaving him.

"I a- uh- um-." he stammered, cautiously getting closer.

"God damn spit it out Glen." Daryl snapped, laying the book he'd begun to read on his chest.

"She aint gunna attack ya." he grumbled as Glen stared at the woman who was preoccupied with removing the finer feathers.

"Well she might not, can't make no guarantees." he corrected himself.

"Ah p-peaches and jerky." Glen bit out, coming a little closer and extending the fruit and dried meat when she looked up at him from her work.

Laying the bird down she accepted the food, playing delivery girl once again. Daryl muttered a thanks to him as she resumed her guard post.

She looked up again as the black haired man offered her another peach and strip of jerky.

"Those are for you." he told her, backing up a step after she grunted at him and took them.

She gave her share to Daryl as well after winning the short food shoving fight he tried to put up. Him insisting she keep hers, her growling back at him and shoving her jerky strip in his mouth when he opened it to argue again. He relented when he realized Glen was still outside watching the little spat with an amused grin.

"Are you going to name her? I mean does she know her name?" Glen asked, more curious about the girl now than afraid, a grimace coming to his face as she roughly shoved a stick into the bird's poop shoot and up through its now headless neck.

"If she knows it she aint told me so, hasn't said a word since I met 'er." Daryl replied, a smirk gracing his features at Glen's squeamishness. "S'pose I oughta name 'er if she sticks 'round." he continued with a shrug.

She ambled away towards the small fire in the center of camp, naked skewered owl in her mouth. She didn't get a threatening vibe from the Asian so she figured letting Daryl have a little space after his complaint was acceptable. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched as she sat on her haunches, sticking the bird out over the fire and rotating it slowly.

"Mom, can I go get a closer look at her?" Carl asked excitedly from the table he was sitting at, looking over to the girl perched next to the fire.

Lori looked up from sorting dried laundry, a gasp leaving her mouth at the wild woman being so close without her noticing.

"No, you stay right there and finish your homework." she ordered, keeping a sharp eye on her.

"She's dangerous Carl, I don't want you going anywhere near her, you hear me?" she demanded, gleaning an unseen look of disgust from Dale.

Dale watched as the girl looked up from her roasting bird every once in a while to glare at the barn or study Laurie. He had to wonder if she was picking up on the secrets Glen had divulged to him with those heightened senses.

Lori glanced up once again to find the girl looking at her, head cocked to the side, nose rising to sniff the air. The girl stabbed her bird covered stick into the ground, crawling towards the mother and son. Lori began to panic as she came closer, Carl practically bobbing in his seat with excitement.

"Carl get in the tent now!" she commanded, sending the protesting boy into the guise of safety.

As she continued closer Lori backed up until she was trapped against the table. The girl stopped a few feet from her and took in another deep lung full of air.

Lori watched in horror as the girl pointed a finger and her and then made a rounding motion with her hands at her own stomach.  _'Baby.'_

She knew. With a shaking hand Lori brought a finger up to her lips, the universal sign for silence. Without a word the woman went back to her own business, puzzled over why the baby needed to be a secret.  _'Strange humans.'_

When the owl was a nice golden brown she retreated back to Daryl's tent presenting him with lunch, happy to see his peach jerky snack was gone.

"Yer gonna make me fat." he complained when she forced the cooked bird meat on him, growling at him until he took a bite.

He tried handing the owl-cabob back only to get another of her guttural sounds.  _'Eat it. Now.'_

Daryl stripped the bird's small thigh from the carcass, offering it to her after remembering the tiny portion of eggs she accepted that morning.

"Eat it 'er I aint takin' another bite." he insisted when she tried to turn her face away stubbornly.

Reluctantly she took the offered morsel in her mouth only to be stopped when he didn't let go, not allowing her to carry it off and eat with her back turned to him as usual. Daryl got a close look at her teeth as she carefully stripped a piece of meat from the bone with them, making sure to steer clear of his fingers.

They were surprisingly white for someone who had most likely not brushed their teeth in over a decade. The tips of them were pointed and sharp like a carnivore. He wondered if she had filed them so or if it was just another part of her odd altered physical makeup.

When only bone was left she took it from him, catching his hand before he could pull it away. Her fingers were wrapped gently around the fading bruise matching them, keeping him in place as she began licking the meat juices from his palm. Daryl knew trying to pull away would only earn him an animal sound so he was forced to shift uncomfortably and suppress a moan as she took each one of his fingers into her mouth, slowly sucking them clean before releasing his hand.

She dutifully disposed of the carcass when he was finished, devouring the heart and other edible entrails before burying it a ways from the tent. With the majority of the group gone to target practice and a large number of arrow holes poked in the tent's screen Daryl was mind-numbingly bored. He wondered if owl meat had the same chemical as turkey meat because with a full belly he became increasingly drowsy, his eyes floating shut with the image of her lying outside the tent's entrance the last thing he saw before drifting off.

Rolling over again she let out a huff, restless and equally bored. Her muscles were tight and buzzing with energy. She wasn't used to this much inactivity. Lifting her head to look at Daryl she found him asleep, at his most vulnerable. Hardly an appropriate time to go hunting.

Sitting up she spied the peach guy talking with the older male, the only two left present of the group. Letting out a whistle she caught their surprised attention, her wave bringing them both over when she only meant for peaches to come.

"What do you think she wants?" Glen whispered as they walked over, still confused how she learned to whistle.

"Heck if I know." answered Dale, keeping along side him. "But there's only one way to find out."

When they stopped in front of her she imitated Lori's earlier motion for silence, pointing to Daryl's sleeping form. At their nods of understanding she pointed at Glen, motioning with two of her fingers from her eyes to Daryl.  _'Watch him.'_

Another nod set her off running, toes and fingers digging into the soil as her limbs ate up the ground. With a lap around the camp completed in under a minute she took another, glancing over to find the two men standing in front of Daryl's tent watching her in awe. She put on a show, upping her speed until her muscles burned happily at being pushed to their limit.

"Holy shit she's fast. Daryl wasn't lying." Glen whispered as they watched her take her third lap.

"I can't wait to watch her take down some walkers!" he murmured a little louder, getting geeked up by the idea.

"She'll be an asset in protecting the group no doubt." Dale muttered, neck craning to watch as she scaled the tree and flung herself from branch to branch like a professional acrobat.

A little while later she returned to them panting, happily exercised. With a shoo of her hand she sent them back about their business, taking up her spot on the ground. She was pleased when the majority of the group returned, giving her something to look at.

She studied each one of them, their physical features, their movements and behavior. With a much wider range of people to learn from now she found herself observing more and more human traits she was lacking, more things that made her different.

She was happy to find her two least favorites did not return with them. There were no tears or looks of sorrow on the faces of those who did so she canceled out death as the possible reason. She found herself favoring the alpha and peaches, as she'd come to calling him in her head, the most.

The child intrigued her but sharp glares from his dark haired pregnant mother kept her at bay. The dark skinned man and the grey haired woman held no sway with her either way, they were simply just there. Watching as peaches departed with the bath girl from the house pack she noted that there was a defining separation between the two groups though they shared the same land.

Carl crept closer to the girl on the ground while his mom was off busy not watching him. She raised her head from its cradle on her shoulder when she heard his careful small footsteps, sniffing the air she could smell he had a wound that was nearly healed on his side. She let out a huff, looking around for his mother, wondering if she should be bearing another offspring if she could not manage to keep this one from coming to harm.

Sitting up as he got closer she sniffed at his small outstretched fingers, unsure of what he intended on doing with them so close to her face. His pointer finger poked her quickly in the nose before retreating, making her head cock at him in confusion.

Reaching out she did the same to him, curious as to what the action's purpose was. He just stood there staring at her for a moment, her doing the same from her spot on the ground.

"Carl!" came a screech from across the camp, making the boy jump before he scampered away back to his angry mother.

Maggie's screaming about lotion and abortion pills woke Daryl from his nap, making him grumble about the noise and shift on the cot. She turned at the sound of his voice to find his blue eyes open and watching her, still heavy with sleep. Getting up she made her way towards the center of the camp in search of water. Finding a jug she snatched one of the cups nearby, filling it with the cool liquid.

Next she was faced with a dilemma, walk on three limbs and spill most of the cup's contents or walk on two and only spill a little. Leaving the cup on the table she used it to help her stand up straight before grabbing it with both hands and continuing her slow journey. She was too focused on not spilling the water to notice everyone watching her, staring at her like she was a dog walking on its hind legs.

Finally she made it to the tent where Daryl groggily accepted the water, mumbling about having to piss after he finished it. He didn't even try shooing her away when she followed him to the bush he chose to use, only glancing over his shoulder to make sure she wasn't peeking.

Dinner went much the same way breakfast and lunch had, her piling the food allotted to her onto Daryl's plate, only accepting a bit of it when he pressured her. Once their dishes were collected and night set in she mastered the zipper on the tent door, closing him in so the bugs wouldn't eat him alive.

A worried feeling settled in his gut as Daryl watched through the screen panel while she curled up in front of the door, scared of what would happen if she started talking and screaming in the middle of the night to wake the whole camp. Or worse, if she hurt someone other than himself if her trancelike state happened again.


	9. History

 

 

 

 

When Daryl woke that night it wasn't the call of nature that had his eyes shooting open. It was a crack of thunder. A flash of lightning illuminated a small figure sitting in front of his tent, soaked to the bone but unmoving. Not even a single shiver as the wind whipped her sopping hair around her.

He realized the only reason he wasn't soaked himself was due to someone having covered his tent with a tarp, leaving only the front screen she resided in front of uncovered for air. Most likely the same someone who was currently sitting outside in a Georgian monsoon like it was nothing.

"Why doncha get on in here!" Daryl called out from his cot, getting no response in return. He was hesitant to have a repeat of last night, only daring to get within a foot of the flimsy screen netting that separated them.

"Ey get inside it's fuckin' pourin' cats an dogs." he gruffly ordered at her soaked back.

Turning on him she gave a long whining yowl similar to a wet pissed off cat. Another flash of lightning lit her face, revealing the same unnaturally dilated eyes from the night before. This time it seemed she was deeper in whatever state she transcended into when she slept, it taking over her waking consciousness.

Daryl backed up slowly, not wanting to make any sudden movement to trigger the 'chase and kill' instinct that was no doubt very prominent in her at the moment. When he was tucked back into bed she slowly turned back to her original position, thoroughly creeping him out.

The next morning she was in the same exact position like she hadn't moved a single muscle the entire night, aside from her hair having slightly dried. He was almost afraid to move, clearing his throat to announce his awakening. She looked over her shoulder at him, seemingly back to normal. As normal as she could get.

After getting dressed he was more than happy that he was allowed to leave the confines of his tent, stretch his legs. Laying and doing nothing while Sophia was still missing yesterday had just about killed him. Walking to a chair near the fire with her close on his heels he decided he wouldn't let them force him into losing another day.

The whole group watched as Daryl gingerly sat in the folding chair, minding the pull of his stitches. She nudged his legs, willing them to part, more than a little insecure to be in the middle of the group's attention with nothing to do to keep busy.

"Quit goddamnit." Daryl grumbled, leaving her to sit on his boot clad feet since he wouldn't cooperate.

With a sigh of irritation he slid his feet from beneath her, parting his legs like she'd originally wanted so she could sit nestled between them on the ground.

"You an the misses doin' alright over there Daryl?" Shane chuckled, in their direction from across the breakfast fire.

"Mind yer own damn business GI jackass." Daryl snapped, accepting the plate of eggs T-dog brought him.

She accepted an identical one before turning around and bracing her forearms on his thighs, making him hiss at her to stop. Daryl started turning red with embarrassment as she dumped her plate of food onto his with everyone watching.

"What in the-" Shane muttered, only to be cut off by Glen.

"She makes Daryl take her food." Glen explained from his seat, smiling a bit at Daryl's slight blush. "Like a mother lioness sacrificing her share of meat for her cub." he offered in example, much to Daryl's dislike at being called a cub.

An awe-ing sound issuing from Carol made Daryl redden further along with her cooing of "Isn't that sweet.".

"You should see when Daryl actually tries to put up a fight and she puts him in his place, just adorable." Glen mockingly cooed too, just to taunt him.

Daryl's glare intensified at each person who looked at them. Snatching her empty plate back he scooped on her small customary portion and shoved it down at her, making him roll his eyes when she didn't respond to it.

"Eat it." he growled lowly, poking her in the back with her fork, making her let out a small yip in surprise.

She took it quickly, not wanting to get stabbed again, submitting for once when he actually asserted himself. He further demanded she use the fork, taking most of the attention off himself as the group watched her struggle comically with the utensil. But the real laughter ensued when she gave up on eating like they did, tossing her fork over her shoulder for it to hit Daryl in the face.

All was peaceful until Glen started to fidget, glancing from the barn to the house. Using a pair of binoculars to look at each before turning to Dale, who nodded at him in reassurance that what he was about to do was right.

"There's walkers in the barn." he blurted out, making everyone freeze in their mid-morning activities.

"How long yew known this an aint told us man?" Shane demanded, advancing on Glen in his typical hot-headed manner.

"O-only since last night." Glen stammered, putting his hands up, thankful Rick was already making his way over to intervene.

Most of the males in the group began to move towards the red building filled with the dead. She assumed they must have finally stumbled across the danger lurking on their territory.

Daryl moved to join them, only to be stopped by the she-devil at his feet. She growled at him, pointing at his unfinished breakfast like a mother demanding her child finish his peas before going out to play.  _'Eat first.'_

Resorting to her hoovering tactic Daryl showed her the clean plate, his ticket to freedom. She allowed him to get up, staying close by his side while he lightly jogged to catch up to the rest.

As they all neared the barn a firm outstretched arm pressed across his kneecaps, not allowing him any closer as Shane and Rick pressed their faces right up to the spaces between the wood panels, inspecting the rotting occupants. She let out a deep warning growl when Shane tugged on the chain securing the door, only to let out a barking laugh when the dead surged against the door, making it burst outwards slightly and Shane jump back.

"Why in tha hell does Ol'MacDonald have a secret barn full of walkers?" T-dog asked everyone in general, shaking his head.

"I'd like ta know tha same damn thang." Shane announced, going on to demand that they should clear the barn for the safety of the group.

While the bald one and the alpha argued she looked up at Daryl from her crouched position at his side. Tugging on his pant leg to get his attention she extracted her ivory knife from her belt, dragging it across her neck in a slow slashing motion before pointing at the barn, asking for permission. After looking to Rick and listening to his decision to consult Hershel on the matter Daryl looked back down to her, shaking his head in the negative much to her disappointment.

With a huff she accompanied him back to the tent where he gathered supplies and a backpack along with his crossbow. At a moments thought he grabbed his spare hunting knife from the pack, sliding it from its sheath he presented it to her. Oddly enough it was the first gift he'd ever given a girl aside from the ear necklace she hadn't accepted.

Her eyes bulged wide at the sight of the gleaming steel blade, reaching out tentatively for it she admired the weight and balance, the craftsmanship of the handle as well as the razor sharp double edge that ended in a slightly curved point.

She looked back to Daryl, a large smile spreading across her face that made him suppress a shiver. The sight of her shark-like teeth were going to take some getting used to.

Slipping the animal skin pouch containing her bone knife from her makeshift belt she replaced it with the leather sheath he gave her along with the knife, admiring the weight of the blade hanging down.

Turning back to him she in turn presented him with her handmade knife. Daryl took it from her, peering closely at the little etchings around the handle. It looked like something you'd find in a Native American artifacts exhibit in a museum. With a nod of his head he placed it in his pack, internally touched at her small gift in return.

Daryl was attempting to saddle up a horse when the grey haired woman entered the stable. While they conversed and eventually yelled at each other she was busy studying the horse he had chosen. She'd never seen such an animal before, it was magnificent and would most definitely bring a large amount of meat. She gleaned that they were meant for other things rather than food though, eyeing the seat Daryl attempted to lift only to wince and drop when his side pained him. All while the grey female badgered him until he exploded at her.

Keeping well out of it she lifted the leather seat onto the animal's back, finding straps hanging underneath to thread together to keep it in place.

"M' goin' out lookin' and ya aint stoppin' me." Daryl drawled quietly after he got his temper in check, regretting calling Carol a stupid bitch.

Daryl let out a shrill whistle, making her peek out from behind the stall she was occupying.

"Ya got a picture a Sophia fer her ta looket? Sumthin' fer her ta sniff, maybe pick up er scent?" Daryl asked as he waved the girl over.

"Y-yes, I do." Carol stuttered, still shaken from Daryl's outburst, the effects of Ed's torment still lingering though he was dead and gone.

She slipped Sophia's worn and worried school picture from her pocket, handing it over to Daryl.

He handed the picture to the girl at his side, letting her examine the person in it long and hard.

"Tha's tha little girl we been lookin' for." he explained when she looked up at him questioningly, motioning from his eyes to the land around them.

' _Girl's dolly.'_ she thought, remembering the rag doll Daryl had with him when she'd found him.

He was looking for this woman's offspring. Her brow furrowed and she pointed in between the two of them before back at the picture.

"No, her daddy is dead." Carol replied, shaking her head much to the girl's relief, making Daryl shift uncomfortably at the suggestion that he was Sophia's father.

"Whatcha got for her ta sniff?" he inquired with a jerk of his chin.

Carol extended her wrist, offering up Sophia's hair scrunchie, unwilling to let it leave her arm. Daryl pointed towards it, then back to the picture, inhaling deeply for her to hear. She loped forward making Carol shake in her place out of fear. The girl took her hand roughly, smashing her face against the material encircling her wrist, inhaling several deep breaths, rubbing her nose back and fourth across it.

She stepped back, nodding up at Daryl in affirmation at memorizing the scent. With a nod in Carol's direction they were off, him needing a bit of assistance getting on the animal. If she had it her way he would still be back in bed but she couldn't deny the satisfying feeling of leaping from branch to branch, killing squirrels and birds to add to Daryl's game bag along the way.

Daryl thanked his lucky stars Hershel had calmer horses than nervous Nelly. On account of a walker rounding a dense thicket of shrubbery and his primitive angel from above dropping down on it not a foot from the horse's face, sliding her new blade into its skull easily. It didn't even nay at her abrupt descent, it chose instead to take advantage of the pause to strip some leaves from the nearby bush. Taking it as a little snack break.

As they continued further into the bush she recognized the area well, dropping down a yard or so in front of him she waved for him to follow, continuing on hands and feet to make it easier for him. Daryl hoped she'd picked up a trail of Sophia's scent, following her until they stopped at the mouth of a cave. Helping him down she dragged him inside by his hand, pointing to herself and then the cavern around them.

"This yer place huh?" he asked, stepping closer to the walls as the sunlight pouring in through the entrance illuminated drawings covering the walls.

Moving closer to the back he used a flashlight to find what looked like the oldest one, the first she drew. A stick figure of a woman lying down under a line that represented the ground, exes where her eyes should be. The next few were ones of a man with a long dangling strip in his hand, a bottle in the other, a small female figure curled in a ball while the strip met her back.

He looked back at her as she rifled through a pile of bones facing away from him, spying the healed gashes that extended up past the small black top. Flashes of his own childhood horrors ran through his mind, pushing him to move to the next scene.

In this one the man had squares in his hand that were colored green, the girl was in a cage, held up by two other men. Next the cage appeared to be surrounded by white, a white stick figure holding what resembled a needle standing next to the cage. She wasn't alone in the next picture. A figure with red covering where its mouth should be had joined her. In the next one the figure was flat the bottom of the cage. Dead, with her in the corner covered in red.

The depiction that followed was much larger than the rest, she was free and all around her laid white figures covered in red, she herself with red lines radiating outward from her stick body, red dripping from her mouth.

The last few, closest to the entrance were pictures of animals and trees, the forest and her in it with a happy face. Daryl paused at the final one depicting her overlooking a group of red figures, walkers.

A warm hand on his made him jump, looking over he found her with a large fur curled under her arm, jerking her head towards the entrance.  _'Let's go.'_

Looking back at the last image that made his skin crawl he nodded, more than happy to leave her grim history behind. The answers he'd found in that place weighed heavy on his mind as they continued searching through out the day.

Her mother had died and she'd been left alone with her abusive father much like himself. Only after that, her story morphed into a science fiction nightmare. From what he reckoned was a drawing of her father selling her, she'd been sold to some sort of lab or research center. Whatever they'd put in her was what made her so exceptional, almost super human. It was also what made walkers afraid of her.

Remembering the figure with the red mouth in the cage with her he wondered if that was a walker, maybe the first walker. What if when she killed the scientists and escaped she let something else out along with herself, maybe the virus that had taken years to seep into the outside world before it became effective?

Lost in his thoughts Daryl didn't notice it was nearing dusk and she'd lead his horse to circle around back to the farm until screaming and yelling along with a gunshot caught his attention. Everyone was down at the barn and all hell was about to break loose, literally.


	10. No More Humanity

 

 

 

 

As Shane unloaded several more rounds into the walker's chest that Hershel was holding onto Daryl nudged his horse into a gallop, the girl on the ground matching the animal's pace easily.

"What in tha hell's goin' on?" Daryl demanded, accepting the shotgun Shane shoved toward him after he dismounted the horse.

"Shane's lost his damn mind!" Lori screamed over the din of Rick yelling for Hershel to take the leashed walker as Shane continued his rant and advanced on the barn door.

She couldn't control herself with a rotter right there in front of her, her instinct to kill washing over her like a red wave. Pouncing like a jungle cat with her gift from Daryl drawn she knocked Rick's walker to the ground, landing on its chest, her knife easily penetrating its skull and brain.

Now free of his burden Rick ran to Shane who had succeeded in busting open the barn's lock with a pick axe. The girl quickly passed Rick up, pressing herself against the door as it swelled forward with the dead. Keeping them momentarily restrained.

A shrill ear piercing shriek of anger simultaneously silenced the dead groaning behind the door and the living quarreling in front of her. She'd never encountered such stupid creatures in her life, squirrels had more common sense in her opinion.

She pointed towards the guns before making an exploding motion extending outward from her ear before waving the same hand in the direction of the woods and the area around the farm. In conclusion she waved her knife at them all, her face clearly expressing her disappointment before she stabbed towards the creatures behind her that had begun their pushing again at her silence.  _'Idiots.'_

"She's right, gunshots'll bring more of 'em." Daryl gruffly agreed, handing the rifle off to Lori and taking out his own knife, making her hiss at him as her feet began sliding forward in the dirt.

She swung her knife out at all of them, motioning for them to get back.

Letting the barn doors go she swung around, crouching down into a spring loaded position before she launched herself at the first creature to emerge from the dark confines. As more and more surged from the opening she did her best to dispatch them all, lunging quickly, dodging teeth and nails the best she could.

Daryl caught a stray one that escaped her range of almost acrobatic movements, efficiently sinking his blade into its eye socket, Shane shooting another one to the left that got out of her reach.

The group watched in awe and horror as the animal inside carried her through the motions. If they were uncertain about keeping her around before, they knew they needed her now. But at a distance. Like a pitbull chained up in a yard for protection. Maggie let out a scream when a walker lunged on the girl from behind while her weapon was still lodged in her latest kill's skull.

A strangled yell left Daryl as he watched it sink its putrid jagged teeth into the soft flesh where neck met shoulder, her blade meeting it between the eyes before it could rip an actual chunk out of her. She threw it off her like it was nothing. Continuing her massacre like it was just another day at the office and the walker bite she'd just received was a simple paper cut.

As the last of the dead poured from the barn she began to finally tire after taking on such a sheer number all at once. More gunshots rang out to put down the ones that escaped her. When a bullet from Shane's gun tore through her chest she knew it was no accident as their eyes locked and a large male walker in a mechanic's uniform knocked her to the ground, pinning her underneath itself as its jaws snapped inches from her face.

Quickly rolling the creature so she was on top she jammed the knife into its head right to the hilt, letting out the same roar of victory Daryl had heard that first day, making the remaining few walkers attempt to flee only to be mowed down by bullets, one of which from Andrea's pistol caught her in her undamaged shoulder.

An expression of horror, similar to the one when she shot Daryl overtook Andrea's face, making the girl dismiss it as an accident. Heaving for breath, covered in black blood along with her own red she leaned forward on the walker's chest she was straddling, glaring daggers into Shane's eyes as she panted, her lips curling over her teeth at him in a silent snarl.  _'I know.'_

Her eyes shifted to Daryl, confused at his pained expression trained on her shoulder before a gasp from Carol and the sound of shuffling feet from behind made her turn. The dead child exiting the barn was the grotesque spitting image of the little girl's picture she had studied earlier that day.

Approaching the small rotter she sniffed for any trace of the scent she had memorized. Nothing resembling it remained, only death and decay met her flaring nostrils. Grasping the creature's neck firmly to keep it at bay as it snapped and snarled she looked back at the group for confirmation.

First looking to the sobbing mother on the ground held back by Daryl. Then to each face, hoping the reality of this world was finally sinking into their naive brains that were still desperately holding onto the idea of their old lives.  _'Nowhere safe. No one safe. No more humanity.'_

Lastly her eyes fell on the alpha, a nod from him permitting her to finish the little terror clawing at her arm. She rose up on foot, turning the thing that had once been a beacon of hope for many of them around. She pressed the rotter against her body so the people behind her could not watch as she ended the monster's struggling with one swift movement.

Holding the limp body against her she gently laid it down in the blood soaked dirt with shaking arms as the agonized cries of a mother losing her child rang out into the air around them. Cradling the head with her fingers woven into blood matted dirty blond hair she closed the grey eyes staring back at her before falling limp next to the body herself.


	11. My Fault

 

 

 

 

The group looked on in shocked silence aside from Carol whom had fled the scene of her daughter's final death. Not even Daryl dared approach the unconscious blood soaked figure lying in the dirt. They all watched as pained, labored, breaths wracked her frame.

"You know what we gotta do." Shane addressed Rick as he reloaded his gun, his words shaking Daryl from the daze of disbelief he'd slipped into momentarily when she'd hit the ground.

"Ya aint doin' nothin' less ya plan on gettin' out the bullet ya put in er!" Daryl bellowed as he advanced on Shane with the most violent of intentions only to be held back by T-dog, Rick, and Glen.

"I seen ya, ya som'bitch, fuckin' shot er on purpose!" he raged from behind the blockade of bodies keeping him from the slyly grinning bastard.

"Daryl I'm sure he didn't mean to shoot her." Rick asserted, trying to calm the surly redneck as he helped hold him at bay.

"But regardless she's been bitten. You know what's going to happen to her." he continued, letting his hold loosen when Daryl's blue eyes shifted back over to her on the ground and his struggling ceased.

"Nah, she's differen', she might- tha bite might-" Daryl stammered trying to put what he'd seen her body do to heal itself earlier into words.

But in his mind he knew a walker bite was a far cry from a few talon slashes.

Rick turned at the soft metal "tink" that sounded as something rolled off her chest and onto the ground beside her. Approaching cautiously he knelt beside her, reaching out to pick up the crimson covered bullet that rested in the dust beside her more steadily rising and falling chest. Daryl's shadow fell beside him while Rick looked at the impossible little piece of metal sitting in his palm.

"Told ya." Daryl mumbled as he reached out to run a finger over the white puckered scar through a small hole in the black material covering her chest.

The feel of the fresh scarred skin that replaced the gushing hole that'd been the entry wound gave Daryl hope with each stroke of his finger.

"Watch." he commanded Rick, pointing to the no longer bleeding hole in her shoulder.

The braver members of the group gathered around, Andrea getting close enough to watch as the girl's body slowly gave birth to her bullet. The small metal head appeared first, rising up until it too rolled off her body and landed on the ground. Small gasps and murmurs of disbelief sounded as the skin closed up, leaving only a white circle behind to be lightly swiped at by dirty fingertips.

Gingerly grasping her chin in his hand Daryl turned her head to the side, revealing the still unchanged and profusely bleeding teeth indentions in her neck.

"Aint been long nough yet." he grumbled with a deep frown more to himself than the people around him.

He kept the desperation welling up inside himself hidden from his features as he slipped an arm under her legs and the other around her back, cradling her against his chest as he lifted her up.

"Rick he can't bring her back to camp, she's going to turn!" Lori protested, pushing Carl behind her as Daryl passed.

"Aint goin' back ta camp." Daryl growled, glaring at her. "Get me some rope." he demanded over his shoulder as he headed past the barn, up to an old crumbling chimney perched on a hill overlooking the farm's property.

He heard Andrea ordering bodies to be separated into piles fading into the distance behind him before a pair of boots jogging to catch up with him met his ears.

"What was that back there?" Rick asked from beside him once he caught his breath and they reached the chimney.

"Don' know. Jus tha way she is." Daryl answered quietly with a shrug, setting her down before taking the rope from Rick to bind her hands to a metal loop protruding from the brick.

"Stay with er while I pack ma shit an haul it up here?" he asked, waiting for Rick's nod before taking off down the slope.

Returning to the barn he retrieved her knife first from beside the blanket that covered Sophia's body, taking a moment to bow his head in mourning for the little girl. Daryl turned to the horse next, extracting the game bag full of squirrels and various other woodland creatures she'd snag while out searching today as well as the pelt she'd collected from her cave, smacking the horses ass to send it galloping back to the stables.

He was grateful to find the camp empty when he reached it, everyone busy burning bodies or digging graves. He didn't have any answers for the questions everyone most likely had and he wanted to be able to move in peace. Several trips ferrying back and fourth on his bike later he was finished, thanking Rick quietly over his shoulder he dismissed him as he began pitching the tent.

While Daryl worked he kept his mind blank, refusing to linger on the beacon of childhood hope that had been lost today and the adult one that could be slipping away with every passing second. He didn't just move for her, he couldn't take being around everyone after what happened today. Losing Sophia crushed him in a personal way none of them would ever understand, even Carol.

Though his next objective should have been getting a fire going he decided to construct the cot instead after glancing over at her slumped against the bricks. Daryl paused at the sight of tan fur poking out from behind the bag containing his few articles of clothing, deciding to spread it out before laying her on his makeshift bed, hoping the familiar texture might bring her some sort of comfort.

He moved her carefully like she was made of glass, taking care to arrange her in a way that wouldn't aggravate her wound but still allowed him to tie her bound hands to the cot's metal frame, leaving them enough rope to lay on her stomach. He didn't linger, instead moving to collect firewood and dig a pit. Once that was accomplished he skinned and carved a few squirrels while he waited. Unsure of what to do but never able to keep his eyes from returning to the tent for long.

After frying up some meat he set a pot of water to boil, his leg bounding impatiently until he gave up watching it, moving to carve new arrows. When the water was finally sterilized and cooled a bit Daryl knelt down next to her, clean ripped off shirt sleeves in hand. He gently began clearing blood from the bite, hoping to get a better view of what was or wasn't happening.

' _Shoulda helped er. Not listened ta er stupid fuckin' hissin'. S' ma fault if she dies.'_  he thought when the blood just kept coming, no longer able to hold back the self loathing thoughts that'd threatened to break loose the entire time he was keeping himself busy.

She wasn't healing. The only changes being purple veins spreading outward from the broken skin and her complexion becoming several shades paler.  _'They're right. She's turnin'. She's dyin' an it's cuz I didn' protect er.'_

Daryl turned around, resting his back against the cot's edge, unable to look at her anymore. He hung his head in his hands, the weight of his failure weighing heavily on him.  _'She saved me, cared fer me, fought fer me an I jus let er get bit.'_

Through his silent body shaking sobs he didn't feel the hand on his shoulder until the nails were almost digging into his flesh.


	12. Death Purge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If he didn't move she was going to hurl all over him. Trying again she squeezed his shoulder harder, her black dirt caked nails digging into his skin.

"Durrrrl." she rasped, feeling the surge of vile liquid forcing its way up her throat.

Daryl's silent sobbing ceased when he felt intense pain in his shoulder and heard a deep broken voice growl his name, making him turn but fail to move out of the way in time.

While he was pleased she was awake he felt like he might vomit himself as a jet of thick black tar-like substance came spewing from her mouth, covering his chest and lap. It smelt like pure rotting death and despite having just come from her body it was cold as ice. With her purge complete she weakly laid her head on the edge of the cot, nuzzling into the fur beneath her cheek. Looking into his sapphire eyes apologetically.

"Yer jus fulla nasty surprises aint ya." he grumbled, wiping his hands on the back of his shirt before reaching forward to move her hair away from the bite.

The violet veins around the edges had retreated and the wound itself had stopped bleeding. Grabbing a patch of cloth from the now cooled pot of water Daryl gently swiped at it, relieved to see no fresh blood welling up. A small bored huff from her brought his eyes back to her face, her coloring had improved, nicely tanned skin replacing the pasty pallor she'd been sporting not two minutes ago.

With her senses coming back to her she realized her hands were bound together, triggering alarm within her, metal cuffs and chains from her memories flashing through her mind. Rather than panic and thrash about like she wanted to she slowly held them out in front of Daryl's face, glaring at him with a hiss.  _'Get it off'_

He could see she had the similar issues with being restrained as he did with other people seeing his scars, past horrors making such situations unbearable for both of them. Glancing one last time at the bite he slid his knife in between the rope and her skin, slicing through her bindings. As soon as the rope fell away he could see her visibly relax, her breathing slowing, facial expression no longer angry.

Using the same rag he tentatively reached out to wipe a line of black goo from her chin, recoiling slightly when she extended a free hand to wipe his tearstained cheeks.

He couldn't help feeling embarrassed she'd caught him crying. He felt foolish for going to pieces just when she miraculously recovered, his father's angry voice ringing in his head.  _'Boys don' cry take it like a man ya lil bitch.'_

She kept her touch light, trailing her fingertips along the wet lines on his face, remembering the water that'd spilled down her face when she'd attempted to leave him the morning before last.  _'Sad for me?'_

Daryl shifted his face away from her hand, uncomfortable at the lingering caress, pushing her shoulder back so he could watch the bite. They stayed like that for a while, him sitting in her death vomit scrutinizing her neck, her staring at his sky eyes. Still just as captivated by them as the first time she'd peered into them.

He leaned forward slightly to get a closer look when the punctures began to mend themselves, fascinated by her body's gift. His face scrunched in confusion when they disappeared completely, leaving no scar behind, only fresh unmarked skin.

"Wut tha hell." he whispered, stroking the spot without hesitation.

He wondered how many times she'd been bitten. With no marks being left behind it could have happened a hundred times or just this once. There was no telling unless she started talking. Another exciting development. She'd said his name, though is was in the form of a weak growl it was still a word, her first in his presence. She was able to speak, she was just unwilling.

Slight vibration under his fingers made him realize he'd continued touching her while thinking, causing her to release the light rumbling sound that made him picture her with a tail and whiskers. Glancing at her face Daryl found her eyes closed, a slight smile on her lips.

Instead of pulling away he moved his palm along the ridge of her shoulder, resting this thumb above her collar bone, his fingers curling around to her back, kneading her flesh and the hard muscles underneath. Had she been a regular girl he might have been concerned about hurting her or his callused hands being too rough on her skin but the more pressure he used the louder her sound of contentment became.

"Ya gunna start talkin' maybe gimmie some answers?" he asked quietly, retracting his hand, making her crack an eye open before she slightly cocked her head at him.

Truthfully she hadn't even tried to say his name, it just came out. Pushed out by the sludge coming up her throat behind it. Feeling her strength return she leaned over the cot's edge sniffing lightly at Daryl before wrinkling her nose in disgust.  _'Gross'_

A firm smack met the strong hand that tried to restrain her from leaving the pallet when she rose to leave the stench filled tent. She was growing tired of this double standard, him touching her whenever he pleased and her touches being shied away from. If she wasn't allowed to lay her hands on him in an intimate manner he certainly wasn't allowed to lay his on her in a domineering one.

She observed the scene around her, their new dwelling. After their show of ignorance down at the barn she was relieved to be away from the rest of the humans and the place Daryl had chosen suited her just fine. Taking note of the animal carcasses strung up along with the rest of their little camp she felt a sense of security she'd only known in the cave. She was also proud Daryl had managed to keep himself alive while she'd been incapacitated, still weary of him being without her protection.

When he emerged from the tent she got another whiff of him, making her gag.

"How daya think I feel." he snapped at her scrunched face when he came near, trying to wipe the muck off himself.

With a tug on his jeans she motioned for him to follow her into the woods, another rough hand on her shoulder stopping her before she could crawl away.

"Not goin' nowhere without this." he told her in almost a scolding tone, producing her knife from a compartment on his bike.

Gratefully accepting the blade she continued on, leading a bow toting stinky Daryl through the darkened woods with ease, rising a suspicion in him that she could see at night as well. When finally they came upon a creek she continued following it, taking him to one of her favorite spots. Normally she wasn't concerned with cleanliness but the odor emanating off him was beyond foul and assaulting her sensitive nose.

With a slight uphill trek the creek gave way to its origin, a basin pool filled by a small cascading waterfall. She nudged him forward with a headbutt to the back of his thigh, making a washing motion when he turned back to look at her.

Rather than put up the fight for privacy he knew he'd lose Daryl began taking off his shirt, fumbling with the slippery slime covered buttons before peeling off the soiled garment, refusing to take off his threadbare undershirt stubbornly when she tugged at it too, pointing at the black ooze that had soaked through his top layer of clothing.

"Aint hap'nin." he barked, shooing her hand away, his face heating up as he toed his boots off and began unbuckling his belt.

Even though she'd seen his scars and she had her own she showed off without shame he wasn't that confident, uncomfortable going into the water bare chested.

Running her eyes along his body when he dropped his slathered pants next to the rest of his dirtied clothing she admired his shape outlined by the moonlight, well muscled but lean. He was an exemplary male specimen and if she had it her way he'd be bare of all clothing letting her bathe him.

Letting out a small sigh she collected his coverings, moving to the spot where the basin gave way to the creek, clenching the knife's blade between her teeth just in case before she got to work scrubbing his clothes, using her nails when the black substance refused to come free in the water's current.

Every so often her head would perk up to check on him and do a quick sweep of the area while she fought the muck clinging to his shirt, her mind flitting to the mess inside the tent waiting back at their little camp. He shouldn't have had her inside the flimsy shelter on his bed. It would have been much simpler to wake up on the ground, sick the mess in the dirt and bury it. She remembered feeling her fur on his nest, doubting he knew what that implied to her.

Satisfied with his garments freshness she hung them from branches to dry, her head snapping to the east side of the basin when her ears picked up twigs breaking, feet dragging and light groaning. She stealthily made her way around the perimeter, glancing at Daryl peacefully floating on his back in the water.

She resigned to take care of the threat before he even knew it was there. Preferring him to remain relaxed as he was in that moment staring up at the night sky, oblivious to the encroaching danger. She was on them before they could reach the treeline separating the rocky bank from the woods. Having no choice but let the first one drop noisily, the second rotter let out a loud growl before she could slam her blade into its skull and quietly lay it down on the forest floor.

Daryl raised his head from the water, noticing she was gone from her crouched spot on the bank playing Rambo housewife. A rustling in the trees had him rushing for the nearby rock his bow was perched on, sinking low into the water, taking aim.


	13. Skinny Trouting

 

 

 

 

She emerged slowly to prevent getting shot, having watched his automatic reaction to the sound of her approach. A sound that normally wouldn't have happened if she were focused on her movements instead of watching him like a peeping tom. It was something that couldn't be helped, this feeling that'd been building in her since she'd first seen him, a majority of the reason she didn't leave for his own good.

Daryl lowered the bow, relieved to see her creeping out of the underbrush. The fresh dark blood mingling with the old covering her didn't go unnoticed. She'd obviously been taking care of business while he was leisurely swimming. A slight step backwards on an algae covered rock to replace his weapon on its perch sent him slipping backwards into the water and his relaxed trigger finger accidentally squeezing.

He surfaced with a choking sputter, shaking water from his eyes to find her looking down at one of his arrows protruding from her bicep. It'd almost gone all the way through, stopping just short of the colored fletchings at the end. She looked more irritated than angry. A deep annoyed sigh left her as she grasped the orange and yellow end, slowly sliding it from her flesh without wincing.

Swishing it in the water once to relieve his arrow of her blood she slowly made her way over to his side of the pond, extending it towards him when she reached him. When he grabbed for it she snatched it away, her weird barking laugh pouring from her when he tried to reach for it a third time, a clumsy slippery step sending him under the water again much to her amusement.

"Aight m' sorry." he grumbled after spitting a mouthful of water out at her, getting a light wack to the nose with the colorful end before she finally released it to him.

After resetting a bolt in the chamber he returned to the protruding rock she sat on, swishing her legs in the water. Looking all the deceiving part of an innocent teenage girl. Treading water to the side of her he thought about how misleading the picture she painted at the moment was. She wasn't some air headed little twit. She was capable and strong, virtually fearless unless she was confronted by a group of humans. She was no novice to killing either as her cave walls depicted.

' _Damn nerds probably never seen it comin'.'_ he thought with a chuckle all the while watching the hole in her arm in the pale light afforded buy the nearly full moon.

Her thin cotton camisole being peeled off right in front of him hinted at her naivety in one area of life. Daryl averted his eyes immediately. He may have been raised in a house of lewd debauchery but he had his own set of morals that'd been overshadowed by his brother's presence. Still, he couldn't help sneaking a quick look when she bent forward to soak her top in the water, swirling it around to free it from the blood coating it. Giving him a front row view of the heavy globes of flesh seated on her chest, dusky pert nipples that always teased him through the flimsy material her shirt on display for his eyes.

Feeling himself harden in the billowy boxers he kept on for modesty Daryl swam away from her, giving up on his desire to see the arrow hole heal. It'd been so long since he'd gotten laid, even before the end of the world. He couldn't help the coarse thoughts running through his head about the peculiar female standing to slip her barely there denim shorts down her lean legs. Strong legs he'd like to feel wrapped around his hips

' _Sh's too fuckin' young fer yew.'_ he reprimanded himself, cursing Maggie for not giving her more conservative clothing.

It'd been a chore keeping his sights trained on the trail ahead and not her bouncing flesh all day while they'd searched, sporting a semi hard on against a saddle half the day had been painful to say the least. What with being in close quarters with the group he couldn't even remember the last time he'd gotten himself off.

His gaze trailed up to the patch of hair between her legs. His thoughts shifting to how the hairless women he'd occasionally picked up at bars before all this happened had made him feel like a child molester more so than watching a naked girl at least twenty years his junior. The hair on her legs didn't put him off so much either, the thought of wasting the time to shave anything in the world they lived in today seemed irrational to him.

He forced his eyes closed again, pushing himself further away in the water, filling his head with un-arousing thoughts, willing his erection to go down so he could float on his back without embarrassment. Succeeding after a good five minutes of picturing Shane porking Olive Oyl he laid back, opening his eyes to the glimmering expanse of stars above.

Busy tracing Orion's belt with his eyes Daryl didn't notice the splash with his ears submerged and the trickle of water falling, or the ripples lapping at the sides of his face as a swimming figure grew closer. A poke to his shoulder made him jump, losing the careful balance he'd maintained he sank before pushing himself back up to the surface.

When he cleared his eyes of water he came face to face with a different girl, one with hair slicked back off her face, a sharp jaw line and cheekbones were revealed along with pouty lips and expressive eyes not hidden by an unruly curtain of dark hair burying her features.

Her brow scrunched together in a questioning manner, chin jerking slightly towards him before she tried to mimic his floating position and failed, disappearing under the water. Surfacing closer to him she grunted, inclining her head at him again.  _'Teach me.'_

"Figure it out yerself." he snapped before swimming away, the slight sight of her breasts protruding during her attempt putting him right back where he'd been ten minutes ago.

She followed, poking him again while emitting a soft whine, shadowing and pestering him no matter how fast he swam. Hounding him until he was cornered in a shallow cove, forcing him to turn and pay attention to her.

"Fine." he growled lowly, adjusting himself so his shame was tucked into the waistband of his boxers.

"Lay back." he grunted, demonstrating without letting his hips rise up.

When she obeyed he slipped a hand underneath her lower back, keeping her afloat while placing his eyes anywhere but on the supple body in front of him.

"Ya gotta relax." he instructed when her dead weight began sinking his hand, forcing him to add another higher up on her back making it arch, her chest lifting further out of the water.

She couldn't help but let out a light scoffing laugh at his own rigid posture contradicting his command, making his sky bound eyes move to her face. His traitorous eyes sweeping quickly down her exposed flesh, so close he could count the water droplets beading on her skin.

Her muscles began to relax under his gaze, her arms extending out from her sides naturally for balance. The back of her hand closest to his body accidentally grazing his solid length on its way outward, making him suck in a quiet breath of air and his fingers dig into her skin slightly.

Regaining his composure he realized she'd been watching him from the corner of her eyes. Observing his perverted stares and the way his eyes clenched shut when she'd touched him in the same spot he'd gotten so upset about that first day. She was curious but he obviously wasn't willing to teach that lesson at the moment.

When he retracted one hand she stayed afloat, eyes closing as she focused on keeping relaxed. The second his other hand left her skin and her body slightly sank she panicked, latching onto him as if she'd forgotten how to swim entirely.

Daryl froze, possibly in shock at the feeling of her breasts pressed firmly against the thin material covering his chest, her feet locking together at the base of his spine, mound pressed tight against his throbbing erection. When he tried to pry her arms from their clasp around the back of his neck she tightened her hold on all accounts, making his hips buck, grinding against her lower half involuntarily.

The little surprised feminine gasp that left her mouth, so close to his ear he could feel it, almost made him come in his shorts. One more sound like that from her and he knew he would. Mercy in the form of a walker stumbling through the trees relieved him of her clinging torture as she pushed off him, swimming quickly to the edge holding her knife, pulling herself from the water to easily dispatch the lumbering ghoul.

When she returned covered in blood spatter it was as if their little encounter was wiped from her mind as she climbed to a higher rock, peering down into the pool, her head darting in various directions like she was tracking something beneath the water. But that couldn't be further from the truth as her eyes followed the slight shine reflecting off the moon's rays. She couldn't stop thinking about the feeling he'd created in her. The sharp bolt of desire that shot through her, adding to the slowly building tension that had awakened in her body the first second she'd caught wind of his scent.

Daryl watched as she dove head first into the water, knife held between her teeth. Bubbles surfaced here and there, leading him to think she was chasing something. When the bubbles stopped and she didn't surface he began to worry.

"Know she aint got gills." he muttered to himself, searching for any sign of her in the dark depths.

Worry gave way to fear and panic when another two minutes passed without her coming up for air.

He jumped out of his skin when a wriggling brook trout emerged from the water two feet from his face, tail almost smacking him, speared through with her knife. She repeated her fish diving twice more, piling her catches on the rock beside his bow.

Following suit when she climbed out and began dressing he was relieved she kept her back to him, saving him the discomfort of her viewing the obvious outline of his arousal. When Daryl caught her looking from his boots to the fish, it was scary how quickly he understood what was going on in her mind. Slipping the lace of one boot out he used it to string the fish together by the gills, throwing the trout necklace over his shoulder and motioning for her to lead the way.

Once back at camp he extracted his filleting knife, teaching her how to properly clean a fish, getting the most meat possible out of the body. While he cooked the salmon colored strips she cleaned the tent, making him laugh when gags and dry heaves could be heard every so often while she completed the horrendous task. They ate in comfortable silence, her consuming a generous portion for once since they had such a surplus.

After dinner she reluctantly drug her fur from his bed, arranging it outside the entrance to lay on, paying no mind when he stepped over her to turn in for the night. She lay there watching the fire die out, listening to his light snores. The short scene from the pond played over and over in her head, how he felt against her, how good he smelt up close. She couldn't stop thinking about it.

Daryl woke to darkness some hours later, a stiff rod poking him in the stomach, something not uncommon. He rolled over lifting his head slightly to look out the screen panel, soft rays barley illuminated her figure outside the tent. His sleep addled brain told him she was out, no chance she would wake up other than in her weird trance.

Using the feel of her pressed against him ingrained in his memory Daryl slipped his hand down inside his pants, stroking his strained length once before pulling it out, spitting into his hand so his fist could more easily navigate his shaft. His breathing increased as he worked a pearly drop of pre-cum from his slit, using it to further ease his rapid movements while his head pressed back into his pillow.

She'd been awake long after the last red ember went cold, keeping diligent watch from her place on the ground. Not able to drift off into nightmare land. She didn't pay any mind to the sound of Daryl's movements. He often shifted around in his sleep, though as they continued at an abnormally erratic pace she began to wonder what he was doing.

A sharp salty smell made her head shoot up, turning in his direction. Though she'd never smelt it before it was distinctly Daryl only more heady, musky, male.

Through his strangled grunts and light pants for air as he worked himself towards orgasm he didn't hear the quiet sound of the tent's zipper slowly being pulled back.


	14. Curiosity

 

 

 

 

She crept inside the tent unconcerned that Daryl would be angry with her, silently moving closer to his bed, the smell coming from him beckoning to something deep inside her. Seating herself on the floor at the edge of his cot she finally got to see what made him squirm so much when she touched it.

A thick piece of rigid flesh protruded proudly from a patch of wiry hair between his legs. Small veins peppered the upward curving shaft that lead to a slightly purple bulbous head. Her eyes followed every stroke of his hand, watching as a large droplet of clear liquid wept from a hole in the wide tip.

A fresh wave of the scent she craved hit her hard, making her lean forward as he used his thumb to spread the drop around. She inhaled quietly, her face as close as it could get without actually touching him. Letting out a shaky breath she immediately realized her mistake when he went completely still aside from the organ in his hand giving a sharp twitch.

Daryl could feel the end nearing, his balls drawing up closer to his body, achingly full and heavy from weeks without release, tingling madly while he pictured the girl outside his tent doing this to him. Using another drop of pre-cum to move faster he was about to blow his load when hot breath on his shaft made his hand stop and his cock jerk, demanding he continue.

His eyes shot open to find her mouth so close to his dick that if it weren't for the pointed teeth concealed behind her lips he'd be tempted to push the head against her pillowy opening.

"Git tha fuck out!" he bellowed, snatching his discarded sheet to cover himself.

He didn't know how much embarrassment he could take in one day but sure enough his face was beet red and his heart was pounding harder with every second she didn't move.

Idly looking at his reddening face she wondered exactly when he'd succumbed to the delusion that he was in control, that he held the dominant role. She'd found him, saved him. He belonged to her and he was going to understand that.

Daryl watched as she mounted the cot, a firm foot to his chest laying him back when he attempted to sit up along with a hiss. Her legs rested on either side of his, effectively trapping him beneath the blanket covering his lower limbs.

Taking a fist full of the sheet she yanked it from his hands, baring the object of her interest. When he tried to protest she silenced him with a low rumble and a pointed glare, smacking his hands away before pinning them at his sides with another growl and a show of teeth at his last effort to push her off.  _'Mine.'_

He'd never been scared and turned on at the same time before, never felt fear and arousal course through his veins in tandem like he did with her atop him, watching her hand slowly snake forward towards his member. She poked it experimentally, retracting her hand quickly when it jumped slightly, cocking her head at it curiously. Deciding to brave the oddity she grabbed it firmly, yanking it this way and that to study it at all angles, making Daryl yelp in pain.

"It aint a joystick take it easy." he snapped, grabbing her wrist and squeezing until she loosened her grip.

A pointed look down at the hand wrapped around hers send it back to the bed next to his side, letting her continue her exploration. When her hand ventured further south and she found his balls she pulled back, yanking his pants down to his knees to get a better look.

"Fer tha love a god be gentle." he pleaded, reluctant to get his nuts crushed if she opted to examine them the same way she had his cock.

Watching her hand reach forward he couldn't stop himself from sending his own down to supervise, not willing to risk letting her have free range with something so sensitive.

When she understood he wasn't stopping her rather than teaching her she didn't protest, allowing his hand to guide hers in cupping his sack, rolling them lightly in her hand. She thought they were ugly, a saggy skin flap containing two spheres that evaded her hold every time she tried to carefully capture one, making Daryl let out a light groan.

Thinking she'd hurt him again she ventured back up to the thing leaking the moisture her body craved. With his hand shadowing hers he showed her how to stroke it, the feeling of someone else touching his dick combined with another breeze of her warm breath across his skin set him off. Spurt after spurt of cum released from his tip up into the air, landing on his lower stomach.

She didn't understand what was happening at first. The shaft got bigger in her hand which was already unable to circle it fully, a throbbing rhythm pulsing out underneath her touch, the hardness wrapped in soft skin twitching and jerking along with his hips while ropes of white liquid shot from the opening. Covering his skin and her hand while he gritted his teeth and emitted a growl that made her own insides twitch.

The scent of his orgasm had her sucking in large gulps of air, unable to get enough of the smell to satisfy her she released his softening member, raising her cum coated hand to her face. Something compelled her to taste it, her tongue darting out to sample the mixture his body produced, finding the flavor appealing and slightly addicting she sucked her fingers of it quickly.

Crouching forward to lap at the copious amounts of spunk puddled across Daryl's lower stomach she felt his fingers sliding through her hair, making her purr while she cleaned him. He watched her through hooded eyes, his heart rate picking up a little when her lips attached to a spot on his hipbone, sucking while her tongue worked at the semen, pulling away to reveal a darkened patch of skin, marking him.

She'd unconsciously been grinding herself against his legs while she was at it, still ignorant to the reaction her body was having to his scent and taste. When she reached his flaccid penis she attended it with more care, lightly licking it clean on all sides before pulling back, sniffing to see if she could spot any more.

Finding none she dismounted the cot, zipping the entrance behind her before laying in her customary spot. Leaving Daryl to lay there in shock and guilt, he felt he'd taken advantage of her in some way even though it was practically rape on her part. While he wasn't one for cuddling or sentimental shows of affection, he had a sense of duty about his female partner getting off too. He supposed that was part of the guilt consuming him but she didn't seem interested in him reciprocating.

' _Prolly cause she aint never cum b'fore, don know wut she's missin' out on.'_ he told himself as he watched her squirm a little outside, her hips rolling as her thighs pressed together tightly.

He drifted off into sleep with thoughts of what a jackass he was for not at least trying to get her off, his last one being that she was probably an untouched virgin too.

The next morning she was still asleep when he woke, most likely from having been up most of the night in sexual frustration. Stepping over her cautiously he set to making them breakfast, dreading the awkwardness that was sure to come when she woke.


	15. Demeter

 

 

 

 

It wasn't awkward aside from her shifting where she sat uncomfortably, fidgeting, and occasionally glancing up from her squirrel Florentine to Daryl's crotch. They ate without a word and left for the funerals taking place down underneath a tree on the Green property, arriving silently to observe the proceedings from afar. She sat beside Daryl's feet watching the humans grieve, recalling only one time she could remember from her life in the forest such an emotion took her over.

Observing as they began to bury their loved ones she recalled the abandoned wolf pup she'd found half dead in a snare of garbage at the side of a creek. She'd nursed it back to health, raised it as an equal family member not a pet. _'Brother.'_

Though the pain she had felt when she found him bleeding out from a bullet wound was comparable to what the people in front of her were feeling she hadn't buried him. She'd eaten him out of respect, kept his bones in her cave to honor his memory.

To her burial was only fit for the disposal of prey carcasses, she couldn't understand why they would dispose of their bodies this way. Yet another difference separating her from them. A light tug on her hair communicated Daryl's silent signal that it was time to depart before it ended, giving them more than enough time to distance themselves from the questions that were sure to ring out when she was spotted alive.

Trailing along behind him her gaze traveled upward from his appealing backside to the contraption that was always slung over his shoulder, like an extra limb. While she would forever choose the satisfying sensation of sinking her blade into flesh she couldn't deny the advantages of a projectile weapon.

Daryl caught her examining his crossbow closely where he'd propped it up on the crumbling hearth. She didn't touch it, tilting her head this way and that to study it at all angles, much like she'd done while inspecting something else last night. Something that hardened slightly at the memory her movements brought to the front of his mind.

When her head snapped in his direction, her eyes landing on the zipper of his jeans he turned around, adjusting himself while wondering if she could hear the blood rushing to his dick. Grabbing a hatchet from beside their pile of firewood along with his bow Daryl set out to find a specific type of tree, the girl close on his heels.

Spotting a hickory a ways up an embankment he sized up each branch, finding the best candidate out of reach, requiring a climb. Rather than pull his stitches apart he decided to let the natural do her thing, pointing out the selected branch he sent her up with the small axe, having to sidestep the falling tree limb before it came crashing down on his head.

A cedar tree was his next victim, slim worthy branches getting hacked off until he had a bouquet of them in his hand, satisfied with what they'd gathered he waved for her to follow with the thick hickory branch trialing behind her back to camp. Daryl was pleased he only had to show her once, his knife blade gliding down the wood, sharpening the end into a point.

Though she was paying attention religiously he noticed her head shifting slightly, heard her sniff at him when she was feigning the desire to watch the arrow making process closely. He knew she was frustrated by her own body, something she didn't understand. She'd been fidgeting all day, shifting every time she sat. Daryl watched from his seat on the bricks, glancing up from his wood carving when she let out a light growl and squirmed around a bit before continuing her work on the bolt.

Hours later with a fine survival bow sitting in his lap, the string drawn tight. He decided to test it before presenting it to the girl perched on a tree stump skinning a rabbit. She watched him take aim at a squirrel corpse hanging from the game line, his arms flexing as he drew back the arrow nestled between his fingers, another twinge of tortured need shot through her body the same moment his arrow penetrated its mark.

"C'mere." he barked with a jerk of his head, extending the bow out towards her without ceremony.

Setting the rabbit aside she bounded over to him, looking up at the gift he was offering her. Standing up onto her feet she accepted it, leaning forward to press her forehead to his chest quickly for a few seconds before pulling away.  _'Thank you.'_

With an arrow positioned in the notch she let it fly excitedly, embarrassment setting in when it went flying off into the trees and a scoff sounded from Daryl beside her.

"Take yer time." he instructed, getting close behind her without a second thought to adjust her stance and arm height.

Her breathing kicked up a notch when his hands firmly turned her hips, positioning her body to face with the bow, her breathing growing deeper when his arm ran along hers, fingers covering hers. Aiming should have been her focus but instead her face was turning into the crook of his neck, hot openmouthed breaths hitting his skin. When he realized what he was doing to her Daryl retreated several steps, coaching her from a safe distance.

Finally when her head was clear of him after the third try she was hitting every mark spot on, even the difficult ones he was selecting for her at far range. He decided some hunting was in order even though they had an abundance of meat, something to get their minds occupied and off the growing tension building between themselves.

Daryl watched her proudly as she bagged another bird, pulling the arrow from its body she found another one immediately. With her string drawn back tight she resembled a picture he'd memorized in middle school from a book he'd checked out of the library nearly every day, until Merle had used it for kindling.

Out of all the deities in that book his favorite of the mythical gods had been the goddess of the hunt. Mistress of animals, the wilderness, and virgin purity. Her picture closely resembling the girl before him drawing back an arrow to fire.

Back at their dwelling that evening as they dressed their kills in preparation to bring down to the group Daryl couldn't get the name of that goddess out of his mind, the way it fit so well with her.

"Ya r'member yer name?" he asked from his place across the fire, making her look up from feather plucking to tilt her head at him.

"Daryl." he asserted, pointing to himself.

When he pointed to her she gave a slight shake of her head, a sad expression flitting across her face before returning to her task. She couldn't remember.

With containers full of meat slung over their backs in satchels they descended to the group's campsite in the red haze of the setting sun, wading through the tall grass separating the clipped pasture from their hill. Daryl had been scanning the treeline when a firm back pressed against his kneecaps, an arm shooting out, stabbing something in the grass two feet from his boots. She raised her knife to present a venomous snake, it's copper head impaled on her blade, body slackly hanging down.

"Snakes good eatin'." he gruffly mumbled with downcast eyes, nodding his head in thanks at her saving his ass yet again.

After she tucked the serpent in her belt and sheathed her knife they continued on, reaching the camp quickly. Carol had been the first one to spot the living dead girl earlier that day. Taking off into the woods filled with resentment that the beastly girl survived a bite while her own daughter tuned into a monster. The rest of the group had been discussing the miracle they'd witnessed retreating on all fours next to Daryl.

They all backed away when she approached. Ignoring the fear she scented from each one as she shrugged the pack from her back and began unloading the food they brought for the people cowering away from her.  _'Peaches too.'_

"Got extra, thought yall could use it." Daryl told Rick, handing over his own large container.

Rick was looking wide eyed at the girl as she approached Glen, a plastic container outstretched in her hand, scooting a little closer until he was trapped against a tent.

"T-th-thanks." Glen stammered, accepting the container of meat cautiously.

She made her way to the alpha next, offering out another container, advancing on him until he consented to receive it.

"Get that thing away from my husband!" Lori screeched, pushing Carl into the tent so hard he landed face first inside.

"She aint a thing, she's a person an she got a name." Daryl bellowed at her, instantly regretting his decision to bring the group food.

"What a..what is it?" Glen asked, the only one genuinely interested and not quite as scared of her.

"Name's.." Daryl paused, having no other answer to give them he decided it was as good as anything he'd come up with "…Demeter…Deme fer short."

* * *

**Author's Note** :  _Feral is going on hiatus until the muse for this story gets back in me. I can't keep forcing out chapters like I have been for chapters 13 and 15, the story deserves better. I have no idea when I'll continue it could be tomorrow, could be a week or a month all I know is I can't keep writing the story while not feeling the passion and inspiration I had for it when it was a one-shot/ the early chapters. But I_ _will_ _continue eventually._


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